Power Rangers: Public Enemies
by 100TenMillion
Summary: When the world needed heroes, they called upon the Power Rangers. But now, their home country needs scapegoats, not heroes. How will this affect the Rangers?
1. Chapter 1

Power Rangers: Public Enemies

Chapter 0: The start of it all

How it all started is up for debate. Some say it started in 2009, when a villain named Mesogog had reunited the Crystal of Gaia and opened the portal to Hell, releasing all the villains the Power Rangers had defeated until that point. Others say it started as early as 1993, when the very first team of Rangers appeared for the first time. What is known for certain, however, is that by 2010, it was in full swing.

That was the year the Power Rangers had finally managed to defeat the demon king known as Baal. A villain named Maximov had managed to resurrect him, and it took the combined effort of every single Ranger team that existed up until that time to defeat him. The year was 2010. That was the year Baal had managed to destroy Angel Grove.

The damage done to the city was estimated at about 50 billion dollars. Many, many people lost their jobs. Unemployment shot up to a whopping 55% of the population. Tent cities became common sights across America. People starved. People rioted.

The politicians tried all they could to salvage the damage done by Maximov and his demons. However, the Democrats lost favor with the public, as they were the ones in power during this crisis. The Republicans were no better off, either. People saw them as opportunistic leeches who fed on the blame and failure of the Democrats. All hope seemed lost. And then, George Sears came into play.

George Sears was a business man, who's main offices were in Angel Grove. Many who knew him thought he'd lost it all when Angel Grove was destroyed. However, he surprised his friends and family with his gumption, and in 6 months, he restored his wealth. He decided to run for President in the emergency elections of 2010. He at first began with a 2% voter's confidence. Then he made his Briarwood speech, where he laid out in full detail his plan for restoring America. His popularity shot up to 15% thanks to that speech. In Detroit, he gave several speeches, establishing his plan for strengthening America, giving him a 33% voter's confidence. The week before elections, he had a 51% Voter's confidence. His victory was a sure thing.

On November 4th, 2010, George Sears became the first Independent Candidate to be voted into the Presidency. Within a year, thanks to his policies, unemployment dropped back to 19%.

His Presidency would spell disaster for the Power Rangers…

"My fellow Americans,"-George Sears gives his speech in front of the Lincoln Memorial- "You knew them as heroes. You knew them as saviors. You know them as the Power Rangers."

People gather around their televisions. Those that don't listen to the radio. He continues- "Since 1993, the Power Rangers have saved the World from outside forces. However, we no longer have such a great need for them."

People are shocked to hear this. Especially those who live in cities where there have been Ranger teams stationed.

"Some of you may question where I am going with this,"-George Sears clears his throat- "The Power Rangers may save the World. But they cause much damage doing so."

Tommy, who had been watching the broadcast, has a bad feeling about this.

"Take, for the greatest example we are capable of providing, the destruction of Angel Grove,"-George Sears continues- "Yes, the city was evacuated. But, it has been estimated that more than half the damage that was caused in that battle can be directly attributed to the Rangers activities!"

Casey drops his cup of coffee. Tori and Blake hold each other's hands tightly. Nick gasps. Madison covers her mouth in shock.

"Can we tolerate this? Are heroes excused from being reckless?"-George Sears continues- "In this folder, I have the damage estimates caused by Ranger activity, starting in 1993. The total damage is estimated to be at 75 Billion. Please keep in mind, adding to that the damage caused in Angel Grove, that makes for a total of 125 billion dollars. With that money, America could have built schools, hospitals and roads! Instead, we waste that money fixing the damage caused by so called heroes!"

Kira sits on the edge of her seat. Hunter's eyes are glued to the television. RJ is listening intently to the radio with Lilly and Theo. Cameron is coldly staring at his radio. Jason and Zack watch on with worried faces.

"We have proven, in the year 2000, that we could indeed create Power Rangers of our own. And in 2007, Hartford Industries proved that Ranger technology is attainable as well,"-says Sears- "We have no need to depend on external forces to protect us. We can protect ourselves, via our own effort!"

Kimberly hushes her kids as she tries to listen. Rocky puts down his drink, and keeps on watching the television. Tanya feels nervous.

"I am hereby issuing this new bill, the Ranger Act,"-Sears explains- "It demands that all former, and current, Power Rangers turn in their 'Morphers' and register with the government. Any and all who resist shall be arrested and detained, charged with treason. I do this, because America deserves a better brand of hero. One that does not doom his or her beloved country to starvation and misery whilst 'saving the day'! My fellow Americans, God Bless America!"

Mack turns off the TV, and rubs his temple. Carter Grayson paces around in his room, biting his thumb. Taylor nods her head, knowing what she must do.

I personally remember thinking of the Power Rangers as heroes. I looked up to them, admired them. I had always favored the original Mighty Morphing Rangers as the best of the best. I remember where I was in 1998, during the Countdown to Destruction. So, for me to hear that the Rangers were responsible for how miserable my life was in 2010... I find it hard to believe I accepted that idea so readily.

Then again, many people supported George Sears' idea. The Power Rangers dropped in popularity on that day. A poll that was conducted on the following day revealed that 35% of the nation directly blamed the Power Rangers for the crisis. 25% believed that the Rangers were blame free. Everyone else was unsure. A new Anti-Ranger sentiment was born.

I don't know how it began. No one is absolutely sure when it began, or how. All I know is, by 2010, it was in full swing.

The Power Rangers stopped being heroes. They were now enemies of the public…


	2. Chapter 2

Power Rangers: Public Enemies

Chapter 1: The Ranger Act of 2011

Do I remember what happened that day? I sure do. Matter of fact, all I have to do to remind me of that day is look at that kid of mine. He was born on that very day, don't you know. October 9, 2011. I'm sure you've read about this in those text books of yours, but the truth is, there's more to that day then what the textbooks say…

"So,"-Taylor paces around the empty lot- "I did it."

"I'm not surprised you registered first out of all the Rangers,"-says Carter- "You beat me to it. I registered this very morning."

"It's my duty as an American,"-she says- "I will do what the Government tells me to do, no questions."

"Good,"-Carter nods his head- "I mean… you know."

"Hard to believe, huh?"-Taylor leans back on the street lamp- "Seven months ago, this was Little Windjig."

"Yep,"-Carter nods his head, and places his hands into his pockets- "President Sears sure did a number on the economy. Most tent cities are things of the past now."

"Ugh, don't remind me of those times,"-Taylor says, disgusted- "I still have nightmares over what happened at Haiti's Daughter."

"I remember too,"-Carter thought back to that awful riot that occurred in the tent city of Haiti's Daughter- "Not my favorite memory."

"Thank God for George Sears,"-Taylor says- "Otherwise, that would still be going on."

"You know that they are planning on rebuilding Angel Grove?'-Carter states.

"I support that decision"-Taylor smiles- "When George Sears runs for President again, he has my vote."

"Mine too,"-Carter laughs.

"I wouldn't have given away my Morpher to any other President but him,"-she says.

"I know the feeling,"-says Carter- "I feel like I can trust the guy."

"Oh! What day is it?'-Taylor asks.

"It's October 2,"-Carter replies.

I remember that day, really clearly. See, my grandma passed away five weeks before that, and she seemed really happy seeing a President that actually served the people. She had been bitter with the government since Nixon, you see. Well, anyway, when I think of that day, I think of Grandma…

"I just can't,"-says Ethan- "And I think I shouldn't have to be obligated to sign up!"

"But Ethan, be reasonable!"-Conner pleads- "I mean… what harm comes from it?"

"Conner, the three of us saved the world!"-Ethan argues- "Why does the Government come around, telling us we have to give up our identities as Rangers, huh? I mean, we don't owe them! They owe us! And what they owe us is a chance to live peaceful lives! Lives without scrutiny…"

"Wow, Ethan,"-Kira says- 'When you put it that way…"

"But Ethan,"-Conner says- "Remember how bad shit was back in 2010? We couldn't do a thing. All that ended with Sears as president. It's thanks to him that the people can finally breathe in a sigh a relief."

"Maybe,"-Ethan says- "But my mind is made up. I'm not registering. The two of you can register if you want, I won't stop you. But I'm not going."

"Maybe I should register,"-Kira says- "I worked my ass off to get my career to where it is today. It survived 2010. I won't allow this Ranger Act to destroy it."

"What makes you think the Ranger Act will destroy your career?'-Conner asks.

"Well, it's just,"-Kira says- "The Overdrive Rangers know my identity. I have a feeling each of them will register. I mean, they HAVE to, everyone knows who they are! When they register, the Government may ask them if they know any other Rangers that have not yet registered. Guess what comes next."

"Shit,"-Ethan buries his head in his hands. His watch reads October 4, 2011.

Oh yeah, see, my wife was giving labor on that day. Yep, she went to work, as usual, that very morning. The fact that she was nine months pregnant, and the baby was a bit overdue, did not deter her in the slightest. Anyway, there I was, in the waiting room, pacing back and forth like a dummy! Ha ha ha, it was quite a funny sight, really. Anyway, I allowed myself a distraction, so I watched the news…

"We are all registering,"-Mack tells his fellow Overdrive teammates.

"Mack…"-Will starts- "I hate the idea."

"You're not the only one, Will,"-Mack says- "But we have no choice!"

"My big directorial debut tanked,"-says Dax- "And it's all because people keep accusing me of being a traitor. I keep trying to reason with everybody! But no one will see my film… they all say I'm in cahoots with Lord Zedd and Osama bin Laden!"

"My latest paper got turned down,"-Rose adds- "They said 'we do not need the opinions of a traitorous swine as yourself'. Mack… it hurts."

"Everyone booed at me last race,"-Ronny says- "I didn't even drive that day… It just hurt too much… I'm with you, Mack!"

"Tomorrow afternoon, right before lunch, the Overdrive Rangers will all register!"-Mack says, holding his fiancée, Rose Ortiz. Inside his mind, however, there was doubt. The calendar reads October 5, 2011.

You know, I never took the Power Rangers as bad guys before. I mean, when I was a kid, I looked up to them. I even dressed up as the Red Ranger for Halloween of 1995! I turned 18 in September 19, 2005. But after… you know, I counted October 9, 2011 as the day my childhood finally ended. No, it's more like the day my childhood finally died…

"So… We finally have the famous Overdrive team, registering?"-General Wade Miles says- "About time, too. Why, you've had a whole week to register!"

"Sorry sir, but,"-Mack says- "I… we wanted it to be a team decision."

"There was no decision to be made, boy,"-Wade Miles says- "It was either register or register. No second options."

"With all due respect, sir,"-Mack keeps himself composed- "The Government has asked a lot from the Power Rangers."

"Really?"-asks General Wade- "Because, far as I'm concerned, we're letting you off the hook. Why, back in World War One, we made Germany pay for everything that happened, God knowing they deserved it!"

"Sir,"-Mack is angry now- "The Treaty of Versailles led to Hitler, and with that, World War 2!"

"Are you saying the Government is making a mistake?'-General Miles looks at Mack darkly- "Because, to be frank, you are the ones that forced millions into starvation. Ha, what with your recklessness and all."

"We…"-Mack could not defend himself.

"Listen, do you know how many Rangers have registered until now?"-The General looms over the young adult- "We have the entire Wild Force and Lightspeed teams. We also have two or three other individuals. And finally, yourselves. Now, I'm just as well informed about the Power Rangers as anyone else is. That means I know for a fact that we are missing several Rangers."

Mack did not like where this was going. He gulps, and begins to sweat. The General grips the young adult's shoulder, and says- "Be a good American, and tell me. Who's missing from this list, that you know of?"

The Calendar reads October 7, 2011. The doorbell rings. Theo and Lilly head to the door.

"Excuse me sir and madam. May I ask why you have not yet registered?"-Theo and Lilly gasp as they confront an Army Soldier and his heavily armed squad…


	3. Chapter 3

Power Rangers: Public Enemies

Chapter 2: History

(The Following is quoted from Alfred Adams' book Twenty Ten: Hell's Year)

The year began as any other would have. Americans partied themselves to sleep on New Year's Eve, so many greeted the day most likely drunk. However, those groups of color coded warriors, the Power Rangers, had spent the New Year battling an evil demon from Hell.

Baal, a demon lord summoned by the demon vampire, Maximov, wreaked havoc across the city of Angel Grove. The demon had been summoned by a collection of souls that Maximov and his cohorts had been gathering for all of 2009. Baal itself had been summoned right in the middle of Angel Grove Central.

The cause for the summoning of Baal has long since been lost to History. However, one popular theory states that Maximov sought out the destruction of all mankind, so he summoned Baal to do so. Others, however, believe that Maximov served Baal, and he was merely following orders. Whatever the cause, the only thing known for certain is the casualties.

It was for a long time believed that the city of Angel Grove had been completely evacuated. In fact, President Sears, 45th President of the United States, had famously declared such a thing on his 'Ranger Act' speech. However, further evidence proved this claim to be false. Of the 3 million citizens of Angel Grove, approximately 0,5 million were unaccounted for during the evacuations. A five hundred hour search ensued, where only 75 thousand of those half a million people were found. Approximately one hundred thousand charred bodies were confirmed. The rest were never found. In total, that makes 425,000 people dead or missing.

Baal's summoning, however, is famous for the amount of property damage that arose. At first it was reported that there was sixty billion dollars worth of damage, more or less. The government lied. Truth was, there was over six hundred billion dollars worth of damage.

The main reason why the damage was so great was because of the presence of the Sixth Zeo Crystal. Back in 1995, the first team of Power Rangers broke the Zeo Crystal into Six shards, and scattered them through time. However, only five of those pieces were recovered, and used as the Power Source for the Power Rangers Zeo. The sixth had landed in the year 1950, in Roswell, New Mexico. It was not until the year 1999, during the Phantom Ranger's last visit to Earth, that we would learn of the Zeo Crystal's true potential.

From 2000 onwards, George W. Bush, 43rd President of the United States, funded research to use the Zeo Crystal as a weapon. That research had little progress. It was halted after the attacks of October 9, 2005, when it was decided that relying on 'unknown powers' was too risky for America's safety. When Patton Oswald was elected 44th President of the United States, he instead funded research to use the Zeo Crystal as a renewable energy source. He used Angel Grove as his center for the research. This would prove to be his undoing.

It is now known, thanks to the efforts of Space Patrol Delta, that the Zeo Crystal had reacted to the vast amounts of dark energy emanating from Baal. This reaction is what caused it to explode. It was actually the Zeo Crystal's explosion that caused the most damage in Angel Grove.

February 2010. This month still sends chills down the spines of those that remember it. Unemployment skyrocketed. It went from 8% to 31%, all within the course of three weeks. February of 2010 was torture.

If February was torture, March and April were Hell. During the first weeks of March, millions lost their homes. Forced unto the streets, tent cities began to pop up everywhere. Illnesses began to increase in frequency. Riots became an everyday occurrence.

The Silver Hills riot of April 2010 is the most famous. People began to torch down empty buildings, parking lots, and struggling businesses. The Silver Guardians, protectors of Silver Hills, turned to lethal force to quell the riots. This just fanned the flames, and many people began to accuse the Guardians of being Anti-American. Because Eric Myers and Wesley Collins were also Power Rangers, this criticism sometimes extended to the Power Rangers as well. In a move that many consider to be his political suicide, Patton Oswald declared Silver Hills a No Man's Land, effectively leaving the city to fend for itself.

(The Following is cited directly from Melissa Andrews' book An American Hero: The life of George Sears)

Before 2010, Sears was just a normal business man from Angel Grove. When Baal came, he lost everything.

On January 2010, George Sears was penniless. Unable to collect on his insurance, he was left a broken man.

On February 2010, Sears collected himself, and began his business anew. Though he saw that the country was falling apart, he was confident in his abilities to remake his small fortune.

On March 2010, Sears surprised many by earning the same amount of money he did less than a year ago. That was also about the time he began to aspire to greater things.

On April of 2010, Sears began to calculate what it would take to restore America's economy. He succeeded in finding a way.

On May of 2010, Sears began to send his suggestions to then President Patton Oswald. He was continuously ignored.

On June 2010, his wealth restored, he decides to make the biggest gamble of his life: Run for President. He begins making eloquent speeches, ensuring Americans that it was possible to restore the economy. He had 2% of the vote.

On July 2010, Sears made his famous 'Briarwood Address'. Those that bore witness to the event unanimously recount how charismatic and convincing he was. He had 15% of the vote.

On August of 2010, Sears delivered his Detroit Speech. His popularity shot up to 33%

On September of 2010, he delivers a heartfelt speech in the ruins of Angel Grove. Many eye witnesses claim that even he was moved to tears from the sight of the still destroyed and empty city. His popularity shot up to 44%, ahead of the other candidates.

October of 2010, he delivers his most famous speech. Speaking in front of thousands of citizens of Silver Hills, he promises to remove its status as a No Man's Land once in office. The nation roots for him. His Popularity is 51%

On November 2010, George Sears becomes the 45th President of the United States of America.

On December 4th, George Sears assumes office. His first order of business is removing Silver Hill's status as a No Man's Land.

(The Following is an excerpt from George Sears' speech delivered in the ruins of Angel Grove. Written by Sears himself, it bears no official name, but it is often called No Angels to Save Us.)

My fellow Americans, this was my home, too. Here I stand, though over nine months have passed since her destruction, my home town of Angel Grove still sits here, alone and abandoned. I, like many, grew up here. I lived past Rita. I lived past Lord Zedd. I lived past Divatox. I even witnessed the Countdown to Destruction! Like so many, I too believed that this city was indestructible.

Yet here I am, standing in her rubble. I stand here, on top of a city once known for heroes! I stand in the ruins of what was once America's most vibrant, most optimistic city! This city, that saw the possible end of the world in the face, and dared to take a stand! This city, that day after day, for over five years, survived attacks form evil space aliens, and lived to tell the tales! This city! My city! Our city! Ruined…

And she's not alone. America is also ruined. Ruined by riots! Ruined by hunger! Ruined by pain, by sorrow, by anger! Anger that is fully justified! Because just like my city, America lays abandoned by those elected to lead her!

(Taken from Kira Ford's Autobiography My Music)

It was awful. No one could turn on the TV without hearing about the riots, about all the murders, the famines and the diseases. Eventually, one felt like just ending it all with a sweet bullet to the head. But not us.

We (the Power Rangers) tried so hard to quell the riots. I remember how me and the Mighty Morphing Black Ranger teamed up to put a stop to this riot that occurred over in Little Reef, this tent village that sprung up in what was once Reefside High's parking lot. These people, they tried to kill each other…

I don't recall ever wanting to quit being a Ranger before 2010. However… we couldn't quit. I remember how, during April of 2010, I would spend days at a time without getting a wink of sleep. Most of us where exhausted. By the end of the month, only a handful of Rangers still had the will to go on. And those are the guys that kept us all going.

When George Sears came along, and he gave those speeches, I felt like he would relieve us of this huge burden.

I never thought I'd ever feel nostalgic for the days I fought against Mesogog. 2010 proved me wrong…

(This is a diary entry of an unknown girl, known only as 'Ginny'. It was found in an old notebook in the tent village of Smile Town, formerly located in Silver Hills. It is the last thing written on this notebook. The pages preceding it are unintelligible due to sustained damage)

Dear Diary:

Everyday, I miss Kitty. I wish I didn't have to eat her, but daddy told us if we didn't, we wouldn't have anything else to eat. I wanna sleep in my bed, but I can't go home. The bad people burned it to the ground. My tummy hurts. I have a bad cough. Daddy and mommy haven't had a job in five weeks. We have to live in a stinky tent now. I hate it here. The people in the other tents are always yelling and crying. I'm crying too. Every day I cry. I miss Kitty.

Why can't the Red Rangers fix this?

Ginny (A sad, frowning heart is drawn next to the name. Blood stains on this page suggests that maybe the girl was coughing up blood as she wrote this.)

(The following is the famous exchange between Patton Oswald and George Sears, the day Sears took office.)

"Hello, George,"-Oswald says- "Congratulations. You now have the worst job in America."

"If not for you, I wouldn't need to be here,"-George Sears replies. Patton Oswald gets up from his desk.

"I hope, someday… America can forgive me,"-Patton's eyes are getting misty.

George Sears glares at his predecessor, and says- "Get the hell out. You're fired."


	4. Chapter 4

Power Rangers: Public Enemies

Chapter 3: Those that keep their heads bowed down.

"May I ask why you have not yet registered?"-Asked the Captain of the 55th Platoon, Tobias James. Theo and Lilly held each other's hands firmly, thinking hard about what to say.

"Sir, we have no need to register,"-says Lilly- "We aren't Power Rangers. Never were."

"That is not what our informant has told us,"-responds Tobias- "One of you is lying. We're bringing you in."

"You can't do that!"-Theo protests.

"Yes I can. I have been authorized to apprehend you,"-says Tobias- "I have also been given the authority to use force."

Theo gave deep thought to Morphing, and giving the soldiers a taste of Ranger power. However, Lilly squeezed his hand. It was her way of telling him- "don't even think about it".

Nick and Madison were watching television. Cassidy Cornell was delivering a report.

"This is Cassidy Cornell, delivering the news. Yesterday, the Operation Overdrive Power Rangers had finally registered. This act, which has been anticipated for over a week now, has put many minds at ease,"-she reports- "In a stunning show of cooperation, Red Ranger Mackenzie Hartford has also given the Government information regarding the identity of a few unregistered Rangers."

For but an instant, Cassidy's face seems to be filled with worry and concern. For whom, I can but guess, as I am certain you can as well. This look vanishes within a fraction of a second, replaced by her usual, professional look.

"Nick… do you think… Mack told them about us?"-asks Madison.

"Maybe,"-says Nick- "But don't worry, Maddie. Nothing will happen to us. They'll probably just send us a letter, or at worst, a couple of people here to remind us. Come on, Maddie, we're heroes!"

Madison kisses Nick on the lips. She cuddles next to him, and places her head in his chest. Suddenly, a knock on the door. Nick opens the door, and greets Sergeant Albert Nolan, of the 65th Infantry. He is accompanied by fifty men.

"Nick Russell and Madison Rocca, please come with me,"-says Albert- "You are under arrest for failure to register as ordered."

"Wait! We haven't done anything!"-says Nick- "You can't arrest us!"

"I have here an arrest warrant, for the two of you,"-says Sgt. Nolan- "And you have failed to register. As per orders from the President himself, that is cause enough for arrest."

"What will happen to us?"-Madison asks, frightened. With good reason, too.

"Nothing, if you come quietly,"-Sgt. Nolan responds. The couple follows him.

"This is Cassidy Cornell, reporting live from Washington DC,"-Cassidy says- "I am currently interviewing random people in the streets, asking them about what they think about the Ranger Act, and the Government's policies. Excuse me ma'am! What do you think about the Ranger Act?"

"I think President Sears knows what he's doing,"-says the old lady being interviewed- "I trust him, and I know what he's doing is right."

"Yeah, I mean,"-says the man being interviewed- "What I think is, all that's being asked of the Power Rangers is for them to just sign some paper! What's so bad about that?"

"The Power Rangers have no right to hide from the world! Not after all the damage they've caused!"-the angry man says to the microphone- "It's their fault my wife died!"

"I lost my only son to a disease that could have easily been treated by a simple shot,"-a woman tells the camera, her face in tears- "The only reason I couldn't get him that shot, is because of the disaster caused by the Power Rangers."

"I love the Power Rangers,"-says the nine year old boy- "My favorite are the Jungle Fury. I hope they register soon!"

"Well, what I mean is,"-says the college student- "I just don't see why they didn't register! It's not like we're asking them to quit being Rangers!"

"I believe that the Government has no right, demanding the Power Rangers to surrender their identities, and their powers,"-says the ACLU member.

"I think… it's a violation of their civil rights,"-says the Law student.

"What's a violation, lemme tell ya, is how I had to live in a stinking tent for seven months, just cause some (expletive) morons don't know not to pilot a giant robot in the city!"-says the bearded man.

"The world would have ended back in 1993 if not for the Power Rangers,"-says the Historian.

"I don't give a rat's (expletive) about those Technicolor freaks,"-says the young man.

"Jesus, is the only one who can save this world. The Power Rangers are blaspheming every time they claim to have managed such a feat, reserved for God!"-says the minister in the sixty thousand dollar suit.

"I believe that Jesus himself has sent the Power Rangers unto the world, to save us. They have, time and again, acted on God's will,"-says the minister of a local parish.

"Allah himself blesses the Power Rangers. Peace be upon them!"-says the Muslim.

"I gave my arm, and my eye for this country fighting the Nazis. I shed a tear every time I see those Rangers, because I know that they are keeping the good fight alive,"-says the WW2 veteran.

"I know what it's like, giving it your best, getting blamed when the (expletive) hits the fan. Power Rangers, I'm on your side!"-says the Vietnam War veteran.

"I ain't ever had a parade in my name, and I bust my (expletive) fighting crime every (expletive) day!"-says the cop- "(Expletive) the Power Rangers!"

Rose is confronting a crestfallen Mack.

"Mack… what…"-she can't find the words.

"Rose… I'm sorry, but… it's ok. General Miles said that they would have one last chance to register!"-says Mack.

"But Mack…"-Rose does not know what to say. Ronny, Dax and Will enter the room.

"Yo Mack! Heard the news,"-Will gives Mack a disapproving look.

"Mack, I mean, why?"-Dax is incredulous.

"General Miles said they wouldn't go to jail… they could register… after they were brought here…"-Mack was trying to convince himself.

"Is that why you became a snitch?"-asks Will. Ronny looks at Mack with pleading eyes. He buries his head in shame.

"No… I mean,"-Mack can't face any of his team mates- "It's just that…"

"Did General Miles say that your entire team was gonna get arrested, too?"-Max Cooper surprises everyone.

"How did you know!"-Mack is shocked.

"Because… he said the same thing to me,"-Max looks away.

"Arrest us?"-asks Ronny- "What do you mean?"

"General Wade Miles said that,"-Max stammers a bit- "If I didn't tell them what I knew about the unregistered Power Rangers… he was gonna arrest my whole team. He said the same thing to you, right Mack?"

"He was gonna arrest us!"-Dax is shocked, as are the rest of the Overdrive Rangers- "Why!"

"Because keeping information from the Federal Government is considered treason,"-Rose explains- "And treason is a very serious crime."

"But… I thought we had the right to privacy!"-says Will.

"Will, the Ranger Act is effectively a state of emergency, as far as we are concerned!"-says Rose- "And in a state of emergency, your rights fly out the window…"

"I had to give away information on the Ninja Storm team,"-Max says, tears in his eyes- "Did I do the right thing?"

"You're asking the wrong guy,"-Mack responds.

Madison and Nick were surprised to find themselves in an armored car. In front of them, Shane and Dustin sat quietly.

"You guys got ninja moves, right?"-asks Madison- "Why didn't you just resist?"

"Same reason you didn't bust out your magic, dude,"-says Dustin- "We couldn't hurt the soldiers."

"I pity them,"-says Madison- "After all, they're just doing their jobs… yet they must feel like trash, turning us in like that."

"Funny,"-Shane says- "The guys that were taking Tori in seemed just happy with the situation."

"What do you mean?"-asks Nick.

"I just think I saw one of them take a whiff of her hair, is all,"-Shane replies- "But I wasn't sure."

"Blake and Hunter had both registered,"-says Dustin- "I just kept putting it off. I mean, I thought no one knows I'm the Yellow Wind Ranger, so why should it matter if I register or not?"

"Because that Mack is a sellout,"-says Nick. Madison nudges him roughly.

"Nick, I'm sure he had a good reason to do what he did!"-Madison says.

In another armored car, Tori and Xander exchanged pleasantries.

"I have a bad feeling about this,"-says Tori.

"Come on sweet pea, Xandah's here,"-says Xander- "Nothing will happen to ya, alright mate?"

"I just think, the guy that came for me whiffed at my hair, you know?'-Tori says.

"Hey, it's a gorgeous head piece, eh?"-Xander smiles devilishly- "I'd take a whiff too if ya'd let me."

"You're… nice,"-Tori smiles, remembering how much she enjoyed Xander's company two years ago.

"You know, maybe I should have registered,"-says Xander, looking away. Tori sighs.

Casey gives Mack a death glare.

"Hey Mack,"-Casey says- "Thanks for selling us out."

Mack looks down on the ground in shame, as an angry Casey is accompanied by a very scared Chip.


	5. Chapter 5

Power Rangers: Public Enemies

Chapter 4: Those that cooperate with the authorities

"So, why did you register?"-Hunter asks his brother, Blake.

"I just felt that, you know, I couldn't risk my career like that, you know?"-says Blake.

"Still… I don't think many Rangers have registered just yet,"-says Hunter.

"Remember, many of them have nothing to lose,"-says Blake- "Not like I did."

"Yeah,"-says Hunter- "You've been working your butt off to get your motocross career to where it is today. I can't blame ya for being a bit protective of it."

"I feel like I did the right thing, you know?"-Blake says, staring at his soda- "I mean… It's not like…"

"Listen… don't hesitate, ok?"-says Hunter- "It's not like people hate the Power Rangers THAT much!"

"I'm actually surprised they feel that way,"-says Blake- "I mean… how many times have we saved the world?"

"Yeah… remember how we handled that big ass demon?'-Hunter shudders at the memory…

"_It's too powerful!"-Mack says- "We need more backup!"_

_Baal claws away at the Konga Zord, whilst the Zeo Megazord tried to slash away the demon's arms. That was when Titanus arrived, and fired away at Baal._

"_Shit!"-says Hunter, piloting the Thunder Megazord (Ninja Storm version)- "Man, six Megazords just aren't enough for this thing!"_

"_Don't worry guys, help is on the way!"-Justin says, arriving with the Rescue Megazord. He is followed by the Predazord, the Shogun Megazord, and Tor…_

"Man, that was hell…"-Hunter says, sighing.

"It was a miracle we managed to beat that thing…"-says Blake.

"Yeah…"-Hunter lays back on his chair. The waitress brings them another soda- "Hey, she's kinda cute, don't you think?"

"Yeah,"-Blake smiles slightly- "Hey, you hear what happened at Crystal Waves?"

"No, where's that?"-asks Hunter.

"Over at Georgia. Cleanest beach town in the state,"-says Blake- "It has its own team of Rangers."

"And you're bringing this up… why?'-asks Hunter.

"I've seen their Red Ranger,"-Blake smiles slyly- "And she is SO fine!"

"Ah!"-Hunter smiles- "So… you gonna try to date a Red?"

"Not so loud!"-Blake chastises his brother- "People might hear us."

"Yeah,"-Hunter looks around him in suspicion- "Being a Ranger ain't what it used to be…"

Over at Stone Canyon…

Rocky, Aisha, Billy and Adam were drinking coffee at Kimberly's house. Kimberly sighs.

"Man, I hated having to do that,"-Kimberly says- "But I have two kids to think about."

"It's not like they would have arrested you, Kim,"-says Aisha- "I mean, the Government would NEVER do that!"

"Aisha's right, Kim,"-says Rocky- "I mean, how's the Government gonna arrest you, if no one knows who you are?"

"It's not that simple,"-says Billy- "Remember, the Overdrive Rangers know of our identities. So do the Lightspeed Rangers. Public opinion on the Power Rangers is at an all time low. Combine that with the fact that everyone knows who the Lightspeed and Overdrive Rangers are. With the right circumstances, the Government will have no less than twelve informants who can give away, at the very least, the names of every Ranger that's ever lived, up to this very date."

"No way! Once a Ranger, always a Ranger!"-says Rocky- "They would NEVER sell us out!"

"Loyalties are not what we should worry about,"-says Billy- "Those Overdrive Rangers, especially, worry me. Most of them, unlike us, have lives that can be adversely affected by the public's low opinion of the Power Rangers."

"I know that!"-says Rocky- "What I mean is… you know, uh…"

"I know it's hard to accept the idea… but we have to be prepared,"-says Billy- "For that very reason, I registered."

"Maybe, we should register too,"-says Aisha- "I mean… I'd rather not be sold out."

"Don't worry, Aisha,"-says Kimberly- "I doubt the Overdrive Rangers would do that. Much less the Lightspeed."

"Why not the Lightspeed?"-asks Billy.

"Because they've always been professional about their duties,"-says Kimberly- "And besides, they've been public servants before they were Rangers, and continued to be after they were Rangers. It'd be hard to antagonize them."

"Not so with the Overdrive Rangers,"-says Billy- "It'd be easy to make them appear as traitors if they don't cooperate with the Government."

"Shit…"-is all Rocky can say, as the reality of the situation finally sinks in- "I never thought I'd miss the days we fought King Mondo."

"Back then, the world was so black and white,"-says Billy- "These days, there's only room for gray areas."

Rocky sighs, and leans back on his chair. Kimberly takes a sip of her coffee. She puts it down.

"At least it's a step up from last year,"-Kimberly looks away, not noticing how just mentioning the previous year has made Rocky and Aisha shudder.

"Last year was hell,"-says Billy. He thinks back to a certain event that had happened the previous year…

"_Everybody, return to your tents, immediately!"-the police yelled via the megaphones. The riot squad was fully equipped with anti-rioting gear, and were spreading pepper spray all over the rioters, in hopes of quelling the disturbance. No such luck, as many people began to throw garbage at the police._

"_Return to your tents! Or we will open fire!"-the officer warns. The warning falls on deaf ears._

"_Mother fuckers! Who the hell's paying ya!"-yells a rioter. He takes an incendiary lights it on fire, then throws it at the police. The incendiary explodes, injuring a pair of cops. That was when Billy and Carlos, fully morphed, arrived on the scene._

"_Return to your tents. Final warning,"-Billy says in a cold tone of voice. Carlos, who was right beside him, seemed rather nervous._

"_Fuck you!"-a rioter throws a rock at the Blue Ranger. Billy grabs the rock, and crushes it in his gloved hand. He sends his gaze towards the rioter, takes out his blaster, and fires a shot at the ground in front of the rioter. _

"_You jerk! Look, he's using excessive force!"-yells yet another rioter. Suddenly, all the rioters began to chant "We're not criminals, we're people!"_

_The rioters began to push themselves towards the police, preparing to tear them apart. The police picked up their guns…_

_On that day, Billy and Carlos became eye witnesses to what would later be called the Turtle Cove Massacre of 2010._

"The memory of 2010 is fresh on a lot of people's minds,"-says Billy- "And so long as anyone can be faulted for what happened back then, they will suffer. Big time."

Over in Reefside…

"So, Tommy,"-Hayley didn't need to continue. Tommy nods his head, answering the unasked question.

"Why?"-she asks out of curiosity. Tommy sighs, and leans back on his chair.

"Because it's the least we could do,"-he says- "Last year, we crossed the line…"

"_What the hell did you do!"-asks one of the thirteen men who, just five seconds ago, were fighting over a bottle of medicine._

"_You heard me!"-Tommy, decked out in his Black Ranger suit, fueled by an unspeakable rage- "Get back to your homes NOW!"_

_The twelve remaining men run off, leaving the medicine behind. As Tommy steps on top of the corpse of the man he just killed, he kneels down, and inspects the original holder of the medicine for any signs of life._

"_She's still breathing,"-Tommy lets out a sigh of relief. He picks up the little girl, who was now holding the medicine, and says- "Come on, your baby sister needs that."_

_The horror of what he had done did not even come across his mind until he saw that the little girl was finally safe in her home. He had killed a man…_

"These hands of mine, Hayley, they're stained,"-Tommy says- "And… I know giving up my Morphers isn't gonna clean them, but… it's a start for me. I want to believe it's a start for me…"

Over at Crystal Waves…

"Ah, Jason. Isn't the beach so romantic?"-asks the red headed girl in the red tankini*.

"…Yeah… sure,"-Jason responds, feeling somewhat uncomfortable being flirted with by a nineteen year old girl- "Bella, I told you, call me Mr. Scott…"

"Sorry Jason… I mean Mr. Scott,"-Bella responds. She sighs, and allows her naturally wavy red hair to flow with the ocean's breeze.

"We… we registered,"-she says nervously.

"Why?"-Jason seems shocked.

"Blaise said he had a vision. He saw soldiers coming over to our houses,"-she says- "They would then arrest us. We… registered to avoid that."

"Jason!"-a voice echoes in Jason's head- "You and I know, not one of Blaise' visions has failed to come to pass."

"I know, Echo,"-Jason mentally responds- "But we can't let the Rangers panic. Who knows? This might be the one time Blaise has got it wrong…"

"Let us hope so,"-replies Echo, the Mentor of the Power Rangers of Mu. He's also a psychic dolphin that is scarlet in color, and the last survivor of the ancient civilization of Lemuria.

"Jason? You look like you've seen a ghost. Did Echo contact you?"-Bella asks.

"Yeah, he did, but don't worry,"-Jason says- "Everything's going to be fine."

"Yeah right,"-Bella sighs- "At this rate, I wouldn't be surprised if the Devil Diver showed up again…"

Over at Karol's café in downtown San Angeles…

"So… did you get it?"-asks a man reading a newspaper.

"Yep, the first,"-responds a man reading a magazine. He sat right behind the man reading a newspaper.

"The first of six… good,"-responds the man reading a newspaper- "So, his approval ratings are going up, right?"

"He has a 71% approval rating. Highest of this century, highest of any president since Franklin Roosevelt."-responds the magazine man.

"And the Rangers?"-asks the newspaper man.

"The latest poll is in. 21% say they are innocent. 34% believe them to be guilty. The rest is unsure."-the magazine man.

"I see… This plan cannot fail,"-the man reading the newspaper gets up, folds his newspaper, and leaves.

The man reading the magazine crumples it, and says- "America does not deserve heroes."


	6. Chapter 6

Power Rangers: Public Enemies

Chapter 5: The Power Rangers of Mu- an explanation

Before the advent of Space Patrol Delta, it is known that Ranger teams were more sporadic and disorganized. They seemed specialized in dealing with one type of threat, and only that one type. Rarely did these Ranger teams stood up to fight the forces of evil after they had defeated their 'villain'. Notable examples include the Power Rangers Wild Force, Mystic Force and Jungle Fury. However, it is known that there are some notable exceptions, including the Lightspeed Rescue and Space Rangers. Perhaps, it is this lack of activity which helps the public forget about these teams of Rangers. The purpose of this essay is an exploration on the one Power Rangers team the general public seems to have forgotten the most: The Power Rangers of Mu.

The Power Rangers of Mu were a team consisting of six Rangers. These were Isabella 'Bella' Black, Red Ranger; Blaise De la Croix, White Ranger; Wind Lane, Black Ranger; Arthur Dent, Blue Ranger; Kenneth Dent, Yellow Ranger; and finally Jason Lee Scott, Green Ranger. Except for Jason, this team consisted of young adults, ages ranging from 16 (Wind) to 21 (Arthur). They fought against a villain named Devil Diver. They get their name from the 'sunken continent' of Mu.

Although the Mu Rangers are largely just a footnote in History, the Devil Diver is considered an outstanding villain in the Rogues Gallery of the Power Rangers. The reasons for this are thus: He nearly succeeded in his plans, and he was merely human. Although it is known that the Rangers have, in fact, faced other human villains, Devil Diver stands out for the fact that he never possessed any outstanding abilities, save for his intelligence. He counted on his own inventions to control his foot soldiers, the now extinct Rogons. He also utilized 'mystic items' such as the Orbs of Mu, to do his deeds.

The Power Rangers of Mu were active from June 2010-February 2011. Their Zords were: Red Dolphin Zord, Blue Shark Zord, Yellow Crab Zord, Black Manta Zord, White Stingray Zord, Gray Crocodile Zord, Green Kraken Zord and the Mighty Whale Carrier Zord. Their Zord formations include: Maritime Megazord, where the Crab forms the body, legs and head while the shark and dolphin made the arms; Tidal Fury Megazord. Where the Gray Crocodile formed the body and head, whilst the Manta formed the legs and the Stingray formed the arms; Kraken Centurion Mode; and the Poseidon Ultrazord, made by all the Zords getting inside the Mighty Whale Carrier Zord.

The Power Rangers of Mu were mostly unknown due to the fact that, while they were active, the rest of the World was going through the Millennial Depression. This is the name given to that time when money was scarce, and people rioted.

The Power Rangers of Mu saved the world from being flooded. Devil Diver had stolen most of the Orbs of Mu, and used them to summon the mighty Chac Mol, a rain God that could flood the world. The Rangers stopped him, but sea levels rose up about 19% thanks to the Diver. The Diver is dead now.

The Power Rangers of Mu registered in October 8 of 2011, and are officially the last Ranger team to have done so. Only two members of this team failed to register: Blaise and Jason. An arrest warrant was issued, but Jason resisted.

By:

Lester Jones

Mrs. Dalma

8th Grade

(The following are notes added by the teacher, and found at the back of the paper)

Sorry Lester, but this essay could have been written much better. You forgot about Echo the Scarlet Dolphin, who mentored the Rangers of Mu alongside Jason. You didn't mention the order in which the Rangers joined the team: First was Bella alongside Kenneth and Arthur mentored by Jason, then Wind and Blaise joined up a bit later. Then Jason got his Powers. You forgot to mention that Devil Diver successfully managed to nearly destroy Starfish City, Florida. You also forgot to mention the Devil Diver's real name is Jebediah Isaiah Triptikas. Blaise was an empath, why didn't you mention that? How did the Power Rangers defeat Devil Diver? Why did you forget to mention that the Rangers morphed using the Medals of Mu? And why did Jason resist arrest? Overall Grade: 71%


	7. Chapter 7

Power Rangers: Public Enemies

Chapter 5: Those that resist

"Ethan, please,"-Tommy pleaded with his old student- "Just do it to avoid any confrontation, ok?"

"No way, Dr. O!"-Ethan says- "I have my rights! I shouldn't have to register. I have done nothing wrong!"

"The Government isn't asking for a lot, Ethan,"-says Tommy- "They just want you to sign your name and turn in your Morpher. They're not going to throw you in jail."

"So what?"-Ethan counters- "Dr. O, I helped save the world! Not once, but hundreds of times! Why is it that I have to register!"

"Because the Government asks you to,"-says Tommy.

"The Government!"-Ethan is incredulous- "The same Government that needs fifteen tanks to defeat ONE monster! That Government!"

"That's the same Government that fought tooth and nail to make sure the people get fed,"-Tommy's patience is running out.

"Look, Dr. O. I am not registering,"-Ethan stands his ground- "No one can make me."

The Sun sets on the day of October 8th, 2011. The Sun rises on October 9th, 2011.

Bella allows the morning sea breeze to caress her body. Her beautiful red hair seemed to dance in the wind. Jason, who enjoyed getting up at that time of the day, was surprised to see her.

"Bella!"-he calls out to her.

"Jason!"-she smiles at him. Though he will be in his late thirties soon, Jason still held a slightly youthful appearance. That's one of the many reasons Bella liked him.

"What are you doing up this early?"-Jason asks- "I mean, isn't your part time job during the afternoon?"

"I just felt like getting up early today, is all,"-she replies- "I mean… it's my birthday."

"Really!"-Jason smiles- "How many years?"

"Eighteen,"-Bella blushes- "Finally, a legal adult."

The milky white face turns as red as an apple, as her beautiful green eyes look at Jason's perfectly toned body. Her body language was giving away her deepest desire, as her perfectly round, perky breasts start to… wait a second! Her perverted thoughts have nothing to do with this story! Carrying on…

"Bella,"-Jason says firmly- "Look… I know how you feel, but… even if you are a legal adult, that doesn't mean I… what I mean is… what you are thinking about, I can't do."

"Yes you can!"-she protests- "Jason, I love you!"

"Bella, you're still young,"-Jason looks at her tenderly- "You've got plenty of time to find the love of your life."

"I already found him,"-she says, much sadness in her voice- "Jason, I know what love is. I'm not some love sick teen!"

"Bella,"-Jason thinks of what to say. He says- "I'm not… I mean… I'm too old for you."

"Love doesn't recognize age,"-she says, looking at Jason with teary, yet determined eyes.

"Bella, Mister Scott,"-a young man says- "Good morning."

"Blaise!"-Jason starts to panic, inexplicably- "What… I mean… nothing happened!"

"Relax, Mister Scott,"-Blaise says- "I haven't come to judge. I'm just here to wait for someone."

Blaise is a young man, aged about twenty years old. He is blonde, blue eyed, pale skin. He is also a young man who, on occasion, can see the future. This is most certainly a side effect from having been exposed to the mythical White Orb of Mu since childhood. He served as the White Ranger of Mu, by the way.

"Who are you waiting for?"-asks Bella.

"They should arrive in thirteen minutes,"-Blaise says- "Everything is as my vision has stated. You two, the rising sun, the flowing breeze. All that is missing… is them."

Blaise points out to the jeeps that were arriving.

Meanwhile, in Atlanta…

"Miss Rocca?"- a man in a military uniform approaches her- "You have failed to register."

"I'm no Ranger,"-she casually replies.

"Our trusty informant has stated otherwise,"-the uniformed man says- "And your sister has verified his claim."

"So how's my sister?"-Vida asks- 'I haven't heard from her in a while."

"She's doing fine,"-says the man in the uniform. Unbeknownst to him, Vida caught him giving a subtle signal to some army boys who seemed to casually lean against a bar table.

"Really? Last I heard, she had no intention of registering,"-Vida says. The fact that the army men were subtly coming over to her was not lost to her.

"She chose, of her own will, to register,"-the man in the uniform says.

"I don't like liars,"-Vida says, taking another sip of her drink- "And I really don't like men who come up all in my face.'

The army men surround her. The man in the uniform glares, and asks- "Will this have to get ugly? Your choice."

Over at the Wind Ninja Academy…

"I don't like uninvited guests,"-Cameron says, not breaking away his meditative pose.

"Cameron Watanabe, we just want you to register, and hand over your Morpher,"-says the commander of the 33rd platoon.

"Two things you're doing wrong,"- Cameron states- "Number one, showing up here, uninvited, and acting like you're my equal. Number two, showing up armed."

"Choose your words wisely, Watanabe,"-says the captain- "We have an arrest warrant, you know."

"What you don't have is the strength to take me on,"-Cameron says passively.

"You are hereby under arrest!"-The Army captain orders his troops to surround Cameron Watanabe. Immediately, the entire platoon is soundly defeated by a squad of ninjas. The captain stands alone. Cameron gets up, and takes off his glasses.

"You have trespassed on our school,"-Cameron gives the captain a steely glance…

"Mister James, sir!"-Colonel Arthur Mann calls out- "May we come in?"

"Sorry colonel, but I know my rights!"-says Ethan James- "No warrant, no entry!"

"We do have an arrest warrant, you know!"-the colonel says.

"And may I ask the charges?'-Ethan counters- "And in any case, I am going nowhere without an attorney!"

"Very well then,"-the colonel sighs in aggravation- "Be that way, you traitorous swine! Men! Cut the power, and the phone lines!"

Ethan bursts out of his home, fully morphed. He is, to say the least, angry.

"I'll show you a traitorous swine!"-He screams in his full rage…

Back at Jason…

"Mister Scott, Mister De la Croix, it's a pleasure,"-says the young corporal, Benjamin Shoemaker- "May I ask why you have not registered?"

"Would it have made a difference?"-asks Jason- "After all, it seems kind of unnecessary for retired heroes to give up their names and identities."

"It was an order from the Government,"-responds Shoemaker- "Now, please just cooperate."

"You have an arrest warrant for us,"-Blaise states- "It's clear we have no intention of cooperating."

"I'm sorry to hear that,'-the smile on Benjamin's face disappears- "Arrest them."

"You can't!"-Bella says, instinctively pulling out her Morpher, the Red Eye of Poseidon. It was a medallion, shaped like an eye, with a red jewel in the middle.

"You!"-Benjamin points his gun at Bella- "Men! She's showing hostility! Shoot to kill!"

Suddenly, an arm grabs Benjamin. He looks to see that the Green Ranger of Mu, Jason Lee Scott has grabbed his arm. Bella looks on in shock, while Blaise calmly observes the scene fold out.

"Shoot to what?"-Jason asks, a murderous tone in his voice- "Shoot to what!"

The soldiers begin to open fire on Jason. However, none of the bullets so much as phased him, for the Spandex was bullet proof. One soldier manages to get an idea, and opts to sneak behind Bella.

"Green Ranger!"-the soldier calls out, grabbing Bella's body and putting a gun to her head- "De-Morph and surrender! Or she gets it!"

Suddenly, the soldier drops his weapon. As his dead body hit's the floor, Bella looks at a morphed Blaise, his Blaster still smoking from the fired shot.

"Tell Wind that… I'm sorry,"-Blaise says, dropping his blaster.

"My God!"-another soldier exclaims, backing away- "They killed Mickey! We gotta get the hell out of here!"

Mick Jonas 'Mickey' Campbell. Born on August 13th, 1981. Raised on Catoosa, Oklahoma, son of Noah and Elaine Campbell. All American child and teen, his favorite superhero growing up was the Blue Beetleborg. He also grew to idolize the Power Rangers. Aged twelve when the Power Rangers first came to the foray, Mickey dreamt of being a Power Ranger for most of his young life. Signed up for the military at age 18, upon finishing High School with a 2.90 Grade Point Average. He had assisted with the mass evacuation of Stone Canyon in the Crisis of 2005. He served in Afghanistan from 2006-2008. Voted for Patton Oswald for president. Voted to impeach Patton Oswald. Engaged to one Elaine Cooper in 2005. Married to Elaine Campbell (nee Cooper) in 2009. Elaine Cooper dies in January 1st, 2010, due to Baal's attack on Angel Grove. Mickey dies on October 9th, 2011, survived by his two loving parents, and his son, John Campbell. His death is the first documented occurrence of a human killed by direct action of a Power Ranger, and thus served to add fuel to the public's hate for the Rangers.

Reports keep coming in. Cassidy Cornell refuses to believe what she's being told. In Atlanta, sixteen jarheads lay beaten in a bar. Eyewitnesses claim a Pink Ranger did it. Reports keep coming in about a missing Platoon in the Blue Bay Harbor area. Eighteen soldiers severely injured in the Reefside suburb of Green Gardens. The culprit? A blue Ranger. However, that last report…

"This is Cassidy Cornell, with a breaking story,"-Cassidy delivers the news with as much stoicism as possible- "Tragedy has hit the town of Crystal Waves. In an attempt to resist arrest… the Power Rangers have taken the life of US soldier Mick Jonas Campbell…"

Seeing the news, RJ, Fran and Dominic think the same thing- "This is not good…"


	8. Chapter 8

Power Rangers: Public Enemies

Chapter 7: Former heroes, current fugitives.

As tears streamed down his face and unto the corpse of the fallen soldier, Blaise could think of nothing other than to curl up into a ball and allow the cruel world to devour him.

"Wind…. I'm sorry", said Blaise, "I didn't mean to… I mean…"

"Wind's not here", was all Bella could say, "She's not here, Blaise."

"Blaise…", Jason wanted to comfort the young man, "You did it to defend Bella. It's ok."

"I'm sorry", Blaise could not get over the fact that he had taken a life, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to kill you."

A smoldering hole burned through Mickey Campbell's neck. His heart already stopped about twelve minutes ago.

"We have to get the hell out of here", says Jason.

"Why?", asks Bella.

"Those soldiers are gonna report this", Jason explains, "They're coming after us. Bella, Blaise, the three of us are now wanted criminals."

"I… what's gonna happen to Wind?", Blaise asks.

"I think they will most likely leave her alone", Jason explains, "After all.. She's already registered, right?"

"None of us were ever asked to turn in our Morphers", Bella explains, "We just signed our names."

"Wait…", Suddenly, Jason seems worried, "Why didn't they? I mean, all the other Rangers had to turn in theirs!"

"I don't know", Bella responds.

"Anyway…", Jason takes a deep breath, "Bella, Blaise, the three of us are heading over to Briarwood. We can hide out in the Magic Nexus."

"Wait!", Cried out a voice. It was Arthur Dent, Blue Ranger of Mu. He was followed by Wind and his brother, Kenneth.

"Blaise!", Wind hugs him and kisses him passionately. Though she is 17, Wind hardly passes for a young adult. Her voice is very pixie like, she barely measures five foot three, and her chest is… flat, She's flat chested… but she also has a sweet personality. She's forgiving and insightful. In my opinion, her black eyeliner also goes well with her brown hair and her milky white skin. I find her to be very, very beautiful.

"Wind…", Blaise' tears stream down his face, "I'm sorry. I…"

She slaps him across the face. Her usually beautiful green eyes are poofy from her tears. She says, "Where you gonna leave me here, all alone!"

"Look at what I did!", Blaise points to the dead soldier. Arthur, Kenneth and Wind gasp.

"Dude! What the hell!", Arthur screams in fury.

"He… Bella…", Blaise is all choked up.

"That soldier grabbed me, and tried to use me as leverage against Jason", Bella explains, "He was ordered to shoot… to kill us all. It's my fault. I pulled out my Morpher without thinking."

"This has gotten out of hand", says Kenneth.

"Yeah! Baise should have" Arthur could not finish that sentence because his younger brother, Kenneth, had hit him upside the head.

"Don't be such a hot head. Blaise has nothing to do with this", Kenneth explains, "It was inevitable. We can't ignore that the military had come here fully armed. They either expected a fight, or thought we could be intimidated."

"Shit!", Arthur punches the ground, "Let's bring the fight to them, then!"

"No!", Jason roars, "If we do that… who knows how many people will get killed! Bella, Blaise and I will all hide out in the Magic Nexus. You three…"

"Are coming as well", Kenneth finishes Jason's sentence, "We registered, remember? How much you wanna bet they'll come after us, to either use as informants… or hostages?"

"Hoy hell", Arthur's eyes widen upon the realization, "We messed up, man. Up the creek without a boat."

"Well then… huh?", Jason is surprised to see five tanks rolling into town.

"Jason!', Echo communicates through telepathy, "For this reason I have informed the rest of the Rangers to come. Those tanks, they are hostile!"

"Rangers! Let's run!", Jason commands. The six begin to run for their lives.

The time is eleven forty five AM. The nation is in an uproar over the death of Mickey Campbell. In Queens, a youth spray paints a picture of soldier, with the subtitle 'Campbell Forever'. In Fort Lauderdale, School is dismissed early to allow the students time for prayer. In Silver Hills, The Silver Guardians, or rather, their remnant, hold off what appears to be the beginning of a riot. A news reporter tries to ask the Guardians a question, but one of the Guardians opens a can of pepper spray, and uses it on the reporter. As the reporter writhes on the asphalt in agony, various college students pick up stones and begin throwing them at the Guardians. A riot has begun…

It ends with a massacre…

"Jesus Christ!", George Sears slams the TV remote. He is sitting in the Oval Office, surrounded by his Aides.

"Mister President, we need action!", Says Donald Stevenson, Secretary of State.

"May I suggest a State of Emergency?", says the Secretary of the Navy, Nancy McCallip.

"No, the people have had enough of that", says George Sears, "What we need is to get this over with, quickly, but clean."

"What?", General Wade Miles is incredulous.

"Listen, all of you. The people are tired", George Sears explains, "Tired of giving up their freedoms in order to ensure their supposed safety. Tired of paying taxes in order to cover up OUR incompetence. They don't deserve to be driven into the ground, simply so we can fight this enemy."

"If we don't take action NOW, Mister President, this enemy you won't fight could topple the American Government!", Roars the Secretary of State, "What else is there! Nothing!"

"I may have an idea,"-says General Miles, "But please understand, it's a risk…"

Over in Atlanta…

The people gasp and stare as Vida Rocca, in her Zord Mode, flies across the sky. Trailed by over a hundred fighter jets, she streaks across the skyline, thoughts of the innocents who could get caught in the crossfire never escaping her mind.

"Hey losers! You can't stop me, so just let me go!", she yells at them, "Come on, people can get hurt from those missiles!"

Over on the ground…

"This is Mitch Baker, reporting for HND News!", the reporter looks rather harried, "As you can clearly see, the giant pixie robot is flying across the sky, pursued by over one hundred of the Air Force's best fighter jets! The giant robot seems completely unfazed by the idea that its antics can hurt the people below it!"

A man carrying a paper enters the screen, and whispers something to the reporter's ear. The reporter says. "Bill, I've just been informed that the Giant Robot is in fact piloted by a Power Ranger!"

Back in Turtle Cove…

"Are you serious?', Taylor asks.

"Yes, Miss Earhardt", General Wade Miles explains, "We need you to take down these rogues, and bring them to justice."

"But… why?", she asks, incredulous.

"A soldier has already died by their hand. Further, it seems we currently lack the firepower to stop them properly", the General explains, "However, perhaps this is a time where fire can only be fought with fire."

"So, why me?", she asks.

"You were the first Ranger to register", explains the General, "Who else can defend this country, if not a patriot?"

"General…", Taylor breathes in, "I will need a team."

"I suspected as much", the General smiles, "You bring them in, and we will return their morphers."

Meanwhile, on Capitol Hill…

"For years, my warnings had fallen on deaf ears", says Senator of California, Ernest McCarthy, "I had warned you that the Power Rangers could never be trusted. What do we have now? We have a power that can plunge the United States back into Chaos, running around in our own back yards!"

"So what should we do?", asks Amanda Jones, President of the Senate.

"I will tell you", Replies Ernest…


	9. Chapter 9

Power Rangers: Public Enemies

Chapter 8: The Ranger Act- Precursors

(Taken from the Daily Trumpet, November 13, 2039)

The following is a glance over the many precursors and circumstances that led to the Ranger Act of 2011.

As far back as the Second World War, America has been protected by a large number of people with 'extraordinary' abilities. Although there are documents of some 'super powered' or 'especially gifted' individuals throughout Man's history, these are too few and far in between. Indisputably, it was the Cold War that brought a surge of 'Super Heroes' across the world.

Back then, thanks to the efforts of Senator Joseph McCarthy, the United States Government had managed to create a 'Super Registration Act'. In the year 1949, just a year after Ludwig von Schroeder was finally killed, the United States of America found herself with a surplus of 'Super Powered Beings', including the Human Shell (Who could be fired out of a cannon and not suffer the least bit of damage), the Silver Gust (Who had Super Speed) and Atom Woman (Who could fire lasers out of her eyes). The reason for this surplus of meta-humans was simple: to topple the Third Reich's latest weapon, the Ubermensch, a colossal robot the size of five houses stacked on top of each other. When the Silver Gust was (falsely) accused of being a spy for the Soviet Union, McCarthy used this as reason to enact the Act, forcing all super powered beings into registering with the Government. It worked, too.

During the 50's, the United States of America enjoyed some relative peace, mostly due to the fact that the Supers worked for the Government in its entirety. However, then came the year 1959, and every Super Human died inexplicably. The reasons are still being investigated to this day.

With no champions left to defend her, America seemed doomed to a Soviet attack. However, President John Fitzgerald Kennedy brought the world a 'new' kind of hero: a team of five un-powered heroes, wielding technology beyond anything the world had at the time. They were dubbed 'Power Rangers', after the legendary 'Wild West Rangers'. Scholars these days usually refer to them as the Power Rangers of the New Frontier.

From 1961-1969, the Power Rangers, hereby referred to as the PRNF, served the US Government loyally. However, there were times when their loyalties were severely questioned. Ken Song, yellow Ranger of the PRNF, conscientiously refused to service in Vietnam, earning him the scorn of the people. Norma Jean, Pink Ranger of the PRNF, was a strong advocate of the Women's Rights movement. Many people tried to defame her and her beliefs by implying she was a lesbian (This was later proven to be true, but that is beside the point). Perhaps the most shocking of all (at the time) was the Green Ranger, Henry Iron's affiliation with the Civil Rights movement. None of the Power Rangers received as many death threats as he did, not before, not since. However, these Rangers stayed on duty due to their Red Ranger, John Hill's, word of recommendation. It was his reputation which kept the Power Rangers out of the black list from the Government. The PRNF was disbanded in the year 1969, when John Hill lost his life in a heroic sacrifice to save the Earth from a coming meteor.

Nowadays, you mention the PRNF, most people will not know what you are talking about. However, the name John Hill resonates into History, and even his grave is marked by the name most people remember him by: The Power Ranger.

The Cold War, as we know, ended in the year 1989 with the tearing down of the Berlin Wall. By then, people wanted to just relax, never again worrying about wars or monsters. The year 1991 saw the collapse of the Soviet Union. It seemed that never again would the world see the need for super powered beings. Then, in the year 1993, Rita Repulsa attacked.

We know what happened then. What few people paid attention to, however, was the Government's reaction to this threat, as well as the arrival of the new Power Rangers. At the time, the only Senator willing to distrust the Power Rangers was Senator Ernest McCarthy (no relation to Joseph McCarthy). His position was that, due to the fact that the Power Rangers never gave away their identities, and that they acted outside the law, that they were vigilantes. Although his claims fell on deaf ears, his second proposal, to create their own team of Power Rangers, is what helped pave the way for the Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue and the Power Rangers of Operation Overdrive.

From 1993-1997, the Government saw little reason to invest in creating their own teams of Power Rangers. President Clinton once said, to quote "These fine people, the Power Rangers, do this great country a greater service, protecting us from evil, asking for nothing in return."

The Countdown to Destruction of 1998 was the true catalyst to creating Government run Rangers. Suddenly, the idea that the Power Rangers might NOT be enough to defend America, if not the World, from the forces of Evil seemed very real. Ernest McCarthy himself once again proposed the creation of man made Rangers. The end result of this Project was Lightspeed.

However, Lightspeed cost too much money to be able to repeat successfully. At a cost of 55 Billion, the Project was deemed too steep to be carried by tax payer money. This fact is widely attributed to have cost Al Gore the 2000 election.

From 2001-2005, the US Government debated what to do in case the Power Rangers could not be counted on. Many believed that, because there were no more 'forces of evil' as threatening as the ones from the Countdown, that the need for Power Rangers had come and gone. Then came the Crisis of 2005, a subject far too extensive to revise here. Needless to say, that crisis changed the tune of every politician in America.

The year 2007 saw a glimpse of hope in the eyes of the Government. Hartford Industries managed to create its own team of Rangers. Suddenly, the future seemed bright. The answer, according to President George Bush, was finally found: Rangers that are privately funded.

This turned out to be easier said than done. Zord creation and maintenance comes at about fifty five million dollars apiece. Creation of Ranger suits and gear also reached the eight digits. Few, if any companies could afford to do such an ambitious venture without risking bankruptcy. And the world still needed Power Rangers.

2009 evidenced the need for there to be a consistent team of Power Rangers present and on duty, 24/7. All across the world, several villains were foiled merely by virtue of coincidental Ranger presence. This fact worried the Governments of the word. That was when newly elected President Patton Oswald gave a small suggestion: Keep old Rangers on duty, restoring their powers if necessary. This proved to be not just cost effective, but also far more convenient for everyone. There was just one problem: No one in the Government knew the identity of over three quarters of every Ranger in existence. Once again, the Vigilante problem is addressed. This time, its taken seriously.

Allowing the Rangers to act without giving away their identities is often considered to be on of the Twelve Blunders of Patton Oswald. Giving them full freedom of authority during the Crisis of 2010 is another.

When reports of Power Rangers using excessive force (Not all these claims were false) reached the Government, Ernest McCarthy once again voiced his proposal for a Registration Act. This Act eventually passed through Congress, opposed only by three votes. It was signed by President George Sears on September 18, 2011.

Written by

Sigfried Adam Smith

_The Author is a Historian, essayist and Professor of US History at New Angel City University._


	10. Chapter 10

Power Rangers: Public Enemies

Chapter 9: The gathering of the hunters

"I'll need a team for this." Taylor breathes in deeply, then exhales. "I need at least two more with me."

"You… want us?" Max is shocked and nervous. "No… please no. Not me…"

"Why not?' Taylor asks, exuding an uncharacteristic patience.

"Please… I hate the idea." Max is trembling. "I don't think I should…"

"None of us like the idea of hunting down the Power Rangers." Cole keeps his gaze away from meeting Taylor's. "After all… they're our buddies. Why can't the Army hunt them down? They're the ones who want to put them in jail…"

"The Army can't stand up to them." Taylor looks away.

"So? Good for the Rangers, then." Danny rubs his hands nervously. "It looks like the Government will soon learn that the Act was a mistake."

"Oh? You think the Government will simply roll over and beg for forgiveness?" Chad Lee enters the room where the Wild Force had gathered. "It's not that easy."

"What do you mean?" Alyssa asks, bewildered. She does not ask how he knew they were having this meeting.

"The Government, especially the President, are now seen as heroes of the common people. Us? We're seen as the jerks who accidentally caused the mess. And what do we have running around in our backyards? Six people, with enough power to topple the Government, killing soldiers." Chad Lee explains, walking around the room, always facing the Rangers. "What we've got now is the worst Public Relations situation to have ever befallen the Rangers. And it seems that it just keeps getting worse."

"I was asked by the US Armed Forces to create a team of Power Rangers, to stop the Rangers of Mu." Taylor rubs her forehead in frustration. "I need at least a team of three to do this."

"A team of three?" Chad seems surprised "You'll be lucky to get at least one more person to volunteer to help you out."

"Yeah… wait, why are you here!" Taylor asks, finally asking the obvious question.

"I came to volunteer, of course." Chad explains. "You know, unlike the rest of the Rangers, the Lightspeed Rangers didn't need to register. But we did anyway, mostly as an act of good faith. So, of course we were approached to hunt down these 'rogues'. What the Government didn't count on was the fact that we believe in Once a Ranger, Always a Ranger. We took it to a vote, it was unanimous. We won't hunt down our fellow Rangers."

"So why the hell are you volunteering?" Danny asks, bewildered. "You just said!"

"I have my reasons. So, shall we?" Chad finishes his explanation. His eyes seem focused and ready.

"I… I order you to state your intentions, soldier!" Taylor finally puts to use her military background.

"Fine… I wish to get them to give themselves in." Chad rubs his temple, frustrated. "I want the people to believe that these six are simply acting out in self defense. I have faith that the courts will give them the lightest sentence possible."

"You really think the Government will do that?" Cole is bewildered. "Aren't the Power Rangers public enemies now?"

"We won't be if a group of Power Rangers acts in defense of the Government." Chad Lee responds. It is obvious he has planned the whole thing through.

"…I have reason not to trust you." Taylor sighs in defeat. "But right now, I have a job to do. So come on, lets go find at least one more Ranger to help us."

"Oh, I already did that." Chad Lee exit's the door, and motions to Mack to enter. Mack enters, though it is obvious he is hesitating to even be there.

"Hey." Mack looks down on the ground, ashamed of himself.

"Soldier, I don't need someone who looks down on the ground instead of facing forward." Taylor lifts his head up, and gives him her dominant glare. "Get the hell out of here."

"But… I need to do this!" Mack objects. He suddenly lifts his head up and meets Taylor's eyes. His own eyes reflect his determination. "I have to do this!"

"Why?" Alyssa looks at Mack sympathetically. She knows about how he was forced to turn in the Mystic Force and Jungle Fury teams.

"Rose, Ronny and Dax… they're suffering because of this." Mack's eyes are tearing up. "My best friends… they haven't done a damn thing! But everyone insists on treating them like garbage!"

"And what the hell do you think you can accomplish?" Taylor gives him no sympathy.

"If an Operation Overdrive Ranger helps out the government, our reputation will improve…" Mack speaks with much conviction. "If our reps improve, then Rose, Ronny and Dax can finally live their lives in peace!"

"Especially Rose?" Cole lifts an eyebrow, knowing of Mack's relationship with the Pink Ranger. "Hey! What about Will?"

"Anyway, that's why I want to help you." Mack ignores the Will question.

"I gotta admit… I can't do any better at the moment." Taylor sighs in defeat. She walks out of the room, motioning to Chad and Mack to follow her. "I'm the leader of this team. We work for Uncle Sam now, so no slouching."

Making their way towards Fort Walpurgis, Chad Lee thinks back to the events that had occurred that very morning…

"_Hello Rangers." A man greets the Lightspeed Rangers._

"_You! What are you doing here?" Carter asks the familiar man, bewildered by his presence._

"_Yesterday, as you know, three Rangers have been declared traitors of America. There are also various reports of several 'rogue' Rangers defying the Government." The man smiles._

"_Yeah, they asked us to help hunt them down. We said no." Carter folds his arms. Kelsey, Joel, Dana, Chad and Ryan stood behind him._

"_A dumb mistake. Listen… I need one of you to help Taylor Earhardt hunt down the rogues." The man ceases to smile._

"_The hell! I thought you…" Chad never got to finish that sentence._

"_I am well aware. Believe me, this is for the good of not just the Rangers, but of America itself. Do you seriously believe that the US military, which has trouble defeating one monster, can stop six Rangers?" The man extends his hand to emphasize his point._

"_A soldier's already lost his life." Kelsey points out. "I mean… how many more can die too?"_

"_No one knows. Which is why…" The man allows the Rangers to come to the desired conclusion._

"_We have to help…" Carter gulps. This is not easy. "So… let's go get our morphers."_

"_We only need one of you. Who volunteers?" The man asks. The six Rangers look at each other._

"_I will." Chad Lee steps forward. "I won't let my teammates do something they are not comfortable with."_

"_No Chad, I will!" Carter protests._

"_Chad will do nicely, Carter. Don't worry…" The man goes on to give the Rangers words of reassurance. _

Chad snaps out of his thoughts. The trio of Rangers was now face to face with General Wade Miles.

"This it, huh?" General Miles grins knowingly. "I expected precisely this number… as well as these specific colors. Anyway, here are your morphers."

Genera Miles hands over Taylor's Growl Phone and Mack's Tracker. Mack gulps, but puts aside his nerves. He hasn't been the same since this man had forced him to give away the locations of those he once called closer than brothers.

Over in Washington, DC…

"Ladies and Gentleman of Congress, for this reason is that I approved of this method." George Sears concludes his speech.

"Mister President! You can't trust the Rangers! They are the ones that caused the Crisis!" Senator Ernest McCarthy yells out at the top of his lungs.

"Mister President… our military is more than enough to take care of six individuals. Don't you have faith in our boys in uniform?" Senator Patricia Jones, R-Alaska looks at President Sears daringly.

"We cannot afford any heavy losses!" George Sears defends his decision. "We got out of the Crisis specifically by knowing what dollars to spend! Do you have any idea what a Military campaign against the Rangers would cost?"

"Ok then, Mister President, how about this? Let us give your Rangers… three days. If in three days they don't succeed, we will unleash the Military might of the US on these rogues." The head of Congress says. "And just to be sure, we will place their former teammates under US surveillance."

"What? House arrest?" George Sears is bewildered.

"No, they will be detained in Piedra del Diablo." Ernest McCarthy explains.

"You can't do that!" George Sears slams his fist on the podium. "It's unconstitutional!"

"This is a State of Emergency, mister President." explains the head of Congress. "The Constitution is taking a backseat at the moment."

Over in Karol's café…

"So, they came already?" The man who had earlier spoken with the Lightspeed Rangers asks General Miles.

"Yes." General Miles, who was incognito, hides behind a magazine.

"I just saw a special report on TV. They have a deadline now." The man says.

"America can take on the Power Rangers." General Miles says.

"You don't want that." The man smiles. He folds his newspaper, and leaves.

"At least we have a plan B." General Miles finishes his orange juice, and leaves.


	11. Chapter 11

Power Rangers: Public Enemies

Chapter 10: The meaning of the word Hero

Jason was directing Arthur and Kenneth on how to make a bonfire. The Power Rangers of Mu were hiding in the Alabama countryside, in order to avoid any detection by the military. As the sun set in the sky, Blaise and Wind held each other in a loving embrace.

"Forgive me, Wind. If not for I, we would not be in this predicament."

"Why do you always use those fancy words? I told you, talk simply." Wind places her fingers on his lips, shushing him. Bella looks at Jason, then sighs in defeat.

"Bella, forgive me. I ruined your birthday." Blaise looks at Bella apologetically.

"Blaise… I wouldn't have gotten what I wanted anyway. Don't worry about it." Bella turns her gaze towards her teammate, then smiles. "It's ok. You didn't do anything."

"It's a long road ahead. The closest way to get to the Magic Nexus is to go to Briarwood." Jason gets up, and dusts his hands. "We have a very, very long road ahead of us. And we gotta go incognito."

"Shit…" Arthur wipes the sweat off his brow. "This shit is fucked up."

"I know." Kenneth keeps moving the burning branches, keeping the fire going. "But it beats the alternative."

"Something's been bothering me. Why were you allowed to keep your morphers?" Jason asks the five young adults.

"I guess it's because we're the latest team of Rangers." says Arthur. "I mean, it makes sense to me."

"But when I think about it, it doesn't make a lick of sense." Wind lets go of Blaise, and walks over to the fire. "After all… how does being the latest Ranger team make us any different from the rest?"

"Yeah, and it's not like we're unimportant." Arthur smirks. "We saved the world from getting flooded!"

"Yeah… I miss those good old days…" Bella lays on her back, thinking back to a happier time…

"_Observe! Chac Mol has arisen to flood this filthy world!" The Devil Diver raises his hands in triumph, as his diving suit gets soaked by the pouring rains brought upon by the disturbed Rain God. "Yahweh once drowned this world in water, sparing only 8 humans. I do things differently. I shall spare no one."_

_Lightning illuminates the cloud filled sky, as rains pour down to drown the Planet. Several maelstroms form around the waters of Miami. A tidal wave, three stories high comes crashing down on the shores, drowning the tent city that had formed in what was once a tourist's location. The waters keep rising, overtaking the asphalt roads and low income neighborhoods. Hundreds lay on their rooftops, looking on with fear as their beloved homes drown in a sea of rainwater. The rain keeps increasing with intensity. The raindrops are starting to hurt. _

"_Who the hell are you to talk about drowning the world!" Bella, fully morphed, stands against the villainous Diver. "What gives you the right! You didn't create this world! Mankind's lived for thousands of years before you were born!"_

"_Mankind's lived for too long. I was born to destroy it. Don't you see? Rita, Zedd, the Machine Empire, the Orgs, all of them were brought here by God to put an end to the human race. Their constant defeat has bought humanity some undeserved time. But here I am." Devil Diver removes his helmet, allowing the stinging rain to drench his face. "I am Jebediah Isaiah Triptikas. I have seen the abyss for which mankind has been destined. I have been given this mission, from God Himself, to fix His mistake. I have been assigned to avenge his murdered Son, to drown the sheep undeserving of the Messiah!"_

"_Is that it! Is that all you've got to say!" Bella readies her Dolphin Bow, and aims at Devil Diver's face. "You weren't given any mission from God. You chose to flood the Earth. That was your choice, the choice you made as a being with free will. And this, this is my choice! I choose to save mankind! I choose the future! For the children yet born! Today is the first day of the rest of humanity!" _

Bella was snapped out of her reminiscing by Arthur's constant babbling. She looks up at the stars, nostalgic for the good old days…

Earlier that day, on a cemetery in Alabama…

"This it?" Lieutenant Lionel Smash looks on at the grave. It read: 'Here Lies the Power Ranger, John Hill'.

"Yes, son. This is the grave of America's finest hero." Says Colonel John Smash, retired soldier. "Forty years ago, give or take, this man flew a rocket into space. He saved the Earth at the cost of his life."

"So, why are we here?" asks the young Lieutenant. "And why did you bring that tape recorder, grandpa?"

"Oh, this is to play a tape that an old friend kept safe for me." The old soldier smiles. "For over forty years, Russia has kept this tape under lock and key. State property, they said it was. But now, they said I could keep it."

"What does that tape contain?' Lieutenant Smash is eager to learn the truth. "Nuclear codes?"

"The last words spoken by John Hill and Yuri Sergevich Patlov to this sinful Earth." John Smash's old, wrinkled face is moistened by his tears. The ninety year old man looks on with delight at what he holds in his hands. He plays the tape…

At around noon, this happened at the Military Base in Stone Canyon…

"I hate the idea." Mack was speaking to himself. He paces across the room, uncertain of his actions.

"Sit down." Taylor's voice sounds rather commanding. It is the tone that is most fitting to an Army General.

"I'm sorry." Mack sits down. He is sweating bullets.

"Go home." Taylor commands.

"No! Please… I need to do this." Mack stands up again.

"You're just some rich kid. You don't have any idea what the difference is between what you want to do and what you have to do." Taylor's aura exudes authority

"No! I have to catch these…" Mack's nerve breaks down under Taylor's glare. However, he composes himself again. "If I don't help in catching these rogue Rangers, then my teammates…"

"Cut the crap." Taylor stands up, and looms over the Red Overdrive Ranger. "Are you really willing to sacrifice six Rangers for the sake of three?"

"What about you! Why the hell are you trying so hard to catch them?" Mack immediately regretted those words.

"LDRSHIP. The virtues of the US Armed Forces." Taylor looks out the window. "L stands for Loyalty. D for Duty. R for Respect. S is for Selfless service. H is for Honor. I is for Integrity. And P is for Personal courage."

"So… what does that…" Mack looks at Taylor, curious about where she was going with this.

" I am a member of the US Armed Forces, and I was a member of the Armed Forces long before I was a Power Ranger. I took an oath, kid. And I will live to keep that oath, for the rest of my life."

"So… you took the oath to serve your country. Whatever they ask of you, you do, right? Ask not and all that?"

"Yes, Mack. My Country, Right or Wrong." Taylor breathes in, then exhales.

"Hey, got some news." Chad enters the room. "We have until the day after tomorrow to find them. If we don't get them by then, we will be relieved."

"I see." Taylor rubs her temple.

"Wait, what! Then we have to hurry!" Mack is horrified.

"Bob Parker." Taylor speaks the name without looking at anyone. Mack looks at her quizzically.

"Who?" Mack asks.

"Remember Osama bin Laden?" Taylor looks at Mack, directing the question to him.

"Yeah, the guy behind 9/11."

"Back in 2004, around June if I recall, bin Laden was caught. Bob Parker was the guy who risked life and limb to catch that asshole." Taylor smiles at the memory of the man.

"Wow…" Mack is embarrassed to have forgotten that man.

"In July of 2004, Bob became a household name. In 2005, he was America's number one hero. By 2006, his discharge received minimal media coverage. By 2008, Bob lived a quiet life, away from the pubic eye. In 2009, Bob's home was seized by the Bank. He killed himself last year, broken and penniless." Taylor's smile had long since disappeared during the narration of this tale.

"Reminds me of Alan Turing…" Chad leans against the wall. He's in deep thought.

"Wow…" Mack reflects on what he's learned.

"Excuse me, we found them." A young soldier hands Taylor a paper with some directions.

Returning to the present time, it is night time. In an old home in Alabama, Lt. Smash and his grandfather speak about the recording.

"I suppose it's better that those words were never heard, grandpa. Considering the political climate, such words would have been unacceptable." Lionel says, drinking a glass of milk.

"No son. These words needed to be heard. They still need to be heard." says John, his wrinkled face in tears. Jason and Bella enter the kitchen.

"Thanks for taking us in, great uncle Smash." Bella kisses her great uncle. Yes, John Smash is the uncle of Bella's mother.

"Bella, get your little friends in here. I need the six of you to listen to this." John wipes away his tears. Lionel looks at the Rangers nervously.

The Rangers gather around John's chair. John presses play…


	12. Chapter 12

Power Rangers: Public Enemies

Chapter 11: Heroes among us. Heroes among them.

The sun rose on the day of October 10th, 2011. Yesterday, the top news story was on the Power Rangers openly rebelling against the US Government. Reports of a dead soldier stir the passions of the nation. All across America, people wave flags in support of their Government, and their nation. Overnight, 'Power Ranger' has become synonymous with terrorist.

"Well… Momma, what do we do now?" Old man Jenkins of Silverfish, Florida, walks towards the fridge. The shaking of his hand has worsened thanks to the news of the Power Rangers. At 77 years of age, he is too old to be living in fear.

"Papa, come on. You need tea to calm those nerves." Mrs. Jenkins serves her husband some green tea. She turns her gaze away, so that her husband does not see the tear in her eye.

"I thought they were heroes, Momma." Mr. Jenkins begins to get teary eyed himself. "I didn't fight in no Vietnam war so that some kids in spandex can run around and ruin my country."

The elderly couple turn their gaze towards the portrait of a young man in uniform. Their eyes get misty. "And I didn't give this country my son, just so they can kneel over and let some Technicolor hooligans do as they please." Mr. Jenkins' eyes are full of tears, remembering the son he lost 20 years ago, during Operation Dessert Storm.

Meanwhile…

Cameron Watanabe drank his tea in a calm fashion. He was surrounded my several coffins. Inside those coffins were the bodies of those soldiers that came yesterday for him. No, they weren't dead.

"Hey, Cam. Uh, what do we do with… those?" Kapri seemed nervous being in the presence of the coffins.

"They will be returned once the Government remembers that this dojo is NOT within their jurisdiction." Cameron sips his tea.

"I can't believe we haven't remade the Ninja seal yet." Marah looks out the window. She fears another intrusion.

"The dark magic that Maximov used within these walls is yet to be undone. We still need another year." Cameron sips his tea again, calm as ever.

"What do we do when they come after us?" Kapri asks. Marah heads over to her sister, and sits next to her.

"We will need someplace to put all those coffins." Cameron sips his tea again. He hears a tapping coming from one of the coffins. He gives a subtle signal to Kapri.

"Ok. Ninja Art, Endless Sleep!" Kapri's jutsu releases a perfume within the coffin The tapping ceases.

"Aren't you glad I taught you the non lethal version of that technique?" Cam smirks, sipping his tea.

Over in Alabama…

"Well… no words, really…" Kenneth fixes his glasses as he stares at the grave of John Hill, the Power Ranger. He was deeply impressed by the words he had heard the night before.

"Dude, this dude… I mean…dude…" Arthur had always been more eloquent with his fists than his tongue. He places his hands in his pockets, thinking about the message left behind by the late, great John Hill and Yuri Patlov.

"You know… in many ways, we are always just repaying our debt to these guys." Jason kneels in front of the tomb, showing his respects. "I mean, John and Yuri gave their LIVES for this Earth! So… we are always making sure their sacrifice was worthwhile…by saving it time and again."

"Is that so?" Bella does the sign of the cross, having finished her prayer for the souls of the two dead men. "I guess you're right. I mean, it'd suck if I gave my life to save this planet, only for it to be destroyed a little while afterward."

"Yeah, that could ruin your day." Wind gives a tiny giggle, for which she quickly apologized for.

"Hey guys, I've been thinking." Kenneth wipes the sweat off his brow. "We need to separate for a while. I mean, six people traveling together could raise a LOT of suspicion."

"I agree." Echo communicates telepathically to all the rangers. "Jason, I believe it is best if you take Blaise and Wind with you. You three can pass for a couple of high school students and their escort. Bella can take Arthur and Kenneth, and pass off for a trio of college kids going on a simple road trip."

"Good idea, Echo." Jason gives a small signal to Blaise and Wind, then directs his attention to Bella and her team. "Incognito! Understand!"

"Sure, Jason!" Arthur gives Jason a thumbs up. "Oh! Uh, I mean, Mr. Scott."

The six Rangers go their separate ways. Echo, sensing something bothering one of the Rangers, searches through their hearts. He is shocked to discover something bothering Kenneth…

"Look, Taylor. I just got some info on some Rangers. Three of them, walking along the Alabama countryside." Chad gives Taylor the paper. She looks it over.

"Finally. These Rangers are getting too elusive." Taylor sighs to herself. "I mean, how did we lose that Pink Zord?"

"Well… she IS a Ranger who uses magic…" Mack tries to stay his shaking hand.

"Chad, give Mack some tea." She gives Mack a slightly tender look. But she once again assumes her hardened persona. She observes Mack drink his tea. "Better now?"

"Yes, thank you." Mack was visibly shaking less. "Ever since I became human… I've been getting more and more nervous."

"Might have something to do with how Maximov once took your soul." Chad offers. Mack nods.

"Well come on. Tea time's over." Taylor commands her team to mobilize.

Kenneth, Arthur and Bella had been walking along the road for a few hours now.

"Hey Bells, ain't ya hot?' Arthur gives her a lecherous look.

"Nice try, Arthur. But I told ya once, I told ya a thousand times. I am not taking my shirt off." Bella shoots him a glare. However, her smile is a clear indicator that she is aware of his harmless nature. "Yo Ken, you sure are quiet."

"I…" Kenneth looks at his Morpher. Tears form in his eyes.

"You three." The trio looks at the direction of the voice, and are shocked to see Taylor, Mack and Chad. "Can you please come with us?"

"What do you want!" Arthur assumes his fighting position. "Come on, wanna fight! I can take it!"

"Arthur, shut the hell up!" Bella commands. Arthur stands down. She looks at Taylor directly. "What do you want with us."

"Isabella Black, Red Ranger of Mu. You, and your team, are under arrest." Taylor keeps her steel glance. "You three are charged with failure of registry, resistance of arrest, and murder."

"No we are not." Kenneth's fists are shaking in anger. "One, the three of us HAVE registered. Two, we didn't resist arrest, only Blaise did. And Three, that murder was in defense of an uninvolved team mate. YOUR soldier was the one who held her as hostage, and Blaise killed him to save her! Now go away!"

"Hey! We can arrest you for talking to us like that!" Taylor yells in anger.

"Go ahead, you puppet! You, you're nothing but a puppet for the government of the rich!" Kenneth's gaze was not relenting. "Nothing but the fucking plaything of a government that takes kids away from the ghetto, and sends them on suicide missions, just so the politicians can line their pockets with gold!"

"The hell you talking about, boy! No one took me out of any ghetto! I chose to join the Air Force! By my own free will! I serve my country with pride!"

"Really? So! Proud to be a puppet! That's why you are so proudly coming over to the boonies to arrest three innocent people!"

Taylor grabs her Morpher, and squeezes it in anger. "Who the hell are YOU to criticize! Where were YOU when I was under enemy fire? Ah! That's right! You were all safe and sound back home, calling ME a baby killer! You ate ice cream while I ate expired emergency rations! You slept with blankets while I didn't sleep at all! But you sure as hell don't mind reaping the fruits of MY actions, do you! You say you hate wars for oil, but you quickly RUSH to the gas station when you hear the prices dropped to three dollars a gallon!"

Arthur and Bella looked nervously at Kenneth. Meanwhile, Mack and Chad cautiously grabbed their Morphers, just in case.

"Why the hell are you so loyal to a Government that doesn't give a FUCK about anything!" Kenneth morphs.

"It's YOU people who don't give a fuck!" Taylor morphs. She takes her Eagle Sword, and rushes towards Kenneth. Ken readies his Crab Spear.

"No, Ken, no!" Arthur's screams fall on deaf ears, as Ken and Taylor clash.

"Arthur, Bella, distract those other two Rangers!" Echo warns them through their minds. Arthur and Bella jump in front of Chad and Mack, ready for a fight.

"No! Please, Rangers shouldn't fight each other." Mack begs the Mu Rangers, whilst holding Chad back. "Just… please, give yourselves in."

"But, why should we?" Bella asks. She looks behind her. "No, Ken, stop!"

Ken holds his spear aloft, spins it and strike Taylor. Taylor's suit throws off some sparks as she rolls back a bit. She gets up, jumps, and swings her sword in mid air. Ken blocks the sword with the handle of his spear.

"Every thing I did, I did for the good of my country!" Taylor readies her blade, and lunges forward. "I did it for everybody! And no one ever said so much as a thank you!"

"Why should we thank you!" Ken parries again. "How is dropping bombs on children, or arresting innocent civilians worthy of any thanks!"

"I know! Ok! The Ranger Act is not something I agree with either!"

Ken catches his breath, and strikes her again. "So why! Why are you doing their bidding!"

"My Country, Right or Wrong!" Taylor manages to block that strike.

"You sell-out!" Ken strikes Taylor again. As she stumbles across the ground, Ken rushes towards her, intending to end the battle. That was when several helicopters began to arrive.

"What the!" Ken is stunned.

"Who called for the copters?" Chad looks up at the sky. "Taylor?"

"I didn't…" Taylor looks up in shock. "I didn't ask for reinforcements…"

Several soldiers and special forces agents began to jump out of the helicopters. They surround the Rangers.

"Taylor Earhardt by order of the US Government, you are hereby relieved of your duty. We will take over from here." The heavily armored SF pushes her aside. Mack hurries to her, and picks her up. Bella and Arthur prepare their morphers.

"Stop!" Chad takes out his blaster, and aims at Bella and Arthur. "Please, don't. Stand down, ok?"

"Never!" Kenneth, still morphed, slashes away the soldiers that had surrounded him. As they kneel in pain, Kenneth takes the opportunity to make his escape.

"Kenneth, no!" Echo attempts to communicate with Kenneth to no avail. "No… Jason! Can you hear me!"

"Echo?" Jason manages to communicate with the scarlet dolphin.

"It's Kenneth… he has engaged the US Army… I fear the worst…" Echo hangs his head, powerless to do anything. "Jason… I need to use the Water…"

"Echo… I know… I'll send Blaise and Wind to California. They already know what to do." Jason directs his attention to his two young companions. He is shocked to see Blaise kneeling in the ground.

"Another vision… Jason…" Blaise' eyes are full of tears. "A Ranger laid in a pool of blood. Above him, two Rangers faced each other, brandishing blades. Behind each of them, many Rangers, weapons at hand…"


	13. Chapter 13

Power Rangers: Public Enemies

Chapter 12: The Pagliacci Joke.

Birds don't sing in the ruins of Angel Grove anymore. Children don't laugh here anymore. Fish don't swim here anymore. People don't buy drinks here anymore. Dogs don't wander around here anymore. No one lives here anymore. Nothing does, not even plants. The wind howls silently, the sole visitor to the ruins of what just three years ago was a happy and bustling city.

"Huh…" Billy takes a cigarette to his mouth. It starts to rain, putting out the flame. "Ha, God doesn't want me to smoke. Figures."

"You know it's bad for you." Kat Manx takes away the soggy cigarette from his mouth, and flicks it away. "Maybe the Miracle Water of Aquitar might be keeping you alive, but it doesn't make you Immortal."

"Heh. Life's too short to worry about cancer." Billy observes the old ruins from the top of the hill. His eyes water somewhat.

"I know… when Emperor Grumm destroyed my hometown… I felt the same way." Kat places a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"How pathetic. Look at this. He thinks he can rebuild. He thinks the rubble can be hidden." Billy looks at another cigarette in his hand. "This rain wants to keep me alive. Alive for what?"

"What are you talking about?" Kat looks at him.

"It's a joke. Once a Ranger, Always a Ranger. Sickest joke I've ever heard." Billy tries lighting his second cigarette. It does not work. "The rest of my life was decided the day Zordon gave me that Power Coin."

Kat breathes in the moist air. The wind howls across the ruins. "God, the very idea that three years ago, children…"

"I heard a good joke once." Billy finally manages to light his cigarette. "Man is in tears. He goes to doctor."

"Is this really the best time?" Kat raises an eyebrow.

"Come on, it's good." Billy flicks away his soggy cigarette. "He says 'doctor. Life is too cruel, my life is meaningless.' He bursts into tears again."

Kat crosses her arms Billy continues. "Doc says 'cure is simple. Pagliacci is playing tonight. Go see a showing, that will cheer you up'. Guy says 'But doc, I am Pagliacci!' Hah, good joke."

"I'm not laughing." Kat's gaze is fixed on the ruins. "That was a terrible joke."

"You just don't understand it." Billy tries lighting a third cigarette.

"No, it was just plain terrible. Especially considering the circumstances." Kat crosses her arms and turns her back to him.

"I find it very fitting." Billy breathes in the moist air. "Considering it relates to us Rangers oh so much."

"How so?"

"Hahahaha, you've never noticed?" Billy tries lighting another cigarette. "Tell me Kat, what has every Ranger team had in common?"

"I don't follow."

"We've all been civilians first. Save for the Lightspeed Rangers, Time Force and MAYBE the Galaxy Rangers, every Ranger team has had one thing in common. We were all teenagers when we got the call. And we all answered the call. If we weren't teens, we were adults, with our lives already in full swing. And we put all that on hold, fighting monsters, saving lives." Billy scratches the back of his head. He sees his wrinkled hands, gets a bottle of water, and drinks. His wrinkles disappear.

"That's a good thing!"

"No, it isn't. Teens are not supposed to pick up weapons and fight monsters. Teens aren't supposed to give up their time, skipping on their responsibilities, or their growing up, fighting someone else's battles. They're…"

"Will you cut the crap!" Kat slaps Billy. "Name one Ranger who's suffered from being a Power Ranger! Just one!"

"Trini Kwan." Kat's eyes bulge out at how quickly Billy answered her question. Actually, she never expected an answer at all. "Trini died because she was a Power Ranger."

"How?" Kat's eyes are starting to water.

"2005 didn't see any active Ranger teams. So, we all thought the forces of evil had given up for the moment. But Count Dregon, somehow, managed to escape the Abyss of Evil. The original five Power Rangers, myself included, decided to team up once more… for old time's sake. We were joined by the Masked Rider for this one… he and Trini were becoming an item, you see… Dregon… he… killed her… Dex died too… two heroes died that day. And no one ever knew." Billy lights throws away his soggy cigarette. "The weather here won't let me smoke."

"Why didn't anyone know? Didn't you tell anyone?" Kat is shocked.

"It was decided that… if any of the other Rangers knew about… they'd lose their spirits. At the time, it was decided that it was best for future teams to not have to worry about one of theirs dying. Jason, Kimberly and Zack decided that, if any future Rangers held back, for fear of losing one of their own… It could be disastrous."

Kat slaps him again. "That's a TERRIBLE idea! What the hell was wrong with you!"

"It was not the best decision, I know. But it was the one we made as a team. We only ever told Tommy. He… took it like we did."

Kat's misty eyes continue gazing at the ruins. She is absorbing all this information in.

"Listen… this has got to stop. The idea of recruiting teenagers, or anyone else for that matter, to ask them to put their lives on hold and on the line… it has got to stop."

"So.." Kat looks at him. "You think having any more Power Rangers is a bad idea?"

"I believe that being a Power Ranger should be a full time job. We need fully trained individuals, not some kids who learn on the fly. Like what Lightspeed was." Billy looks at his last cigarette.

"That is what SPD is for." Kat looks at the last cigarette as well. She was ready to snatch it away if she had to. "Hey, what was up with that joke?"

"You hate not knowing." Billy chuckles. "It's a piece of dark humor. The punch line is the question 'Who does the clown turn to when he feels sad?' Likewise, my question is Who do the Power Rangers turn to, when they need help?"

"Another Ranger team?" Kat was starting to understand Billy's point.

"And who does that Ranger team turn to when THEY are in trouble? Another Ranger team? And that one? And the next? How, may I ask, would the Wild Force Rangers been able to defeat Dai Shi?" Billy chuckles, but soon starts grabbing his chest in pain.

"I don't know… hey, you ok?"

"I'm fine." Billy takes out his water bottle, drinks, then sighs in relief. "Each ranger team is far too specialized."

"You are worried about facing someone you might not be able to defeat."

"He already came. Baal, that… demon. It took every. Single. Ranger team to defeat Baal. His defeat was a fluke, really. I still don't understand how we managed to defeat that… thing… It took all our effort, and we STILL only managed to keep the destruction limited to just Angel Grove."

"So? You saved the world."

"But not Angel Grove. Millions lost their homes. Thousands lost their lives. I don't know about you, but I don't call that a good day." Billy puts his cigarette away. "I ought to quit smoking."

Billy and Kat turn to leave. He suddenly grabs his chest in pain. She holds him, as they head towards his ship.

"Kat, listen… I need to go back to Aquitar for a while. There's someone I was supposed to meet today. Could you go in my name?" Billy is relieved when she agrees. He gets in his ship, and leaves for Aquitar.

"This Water is what keeps me alive." Billy looks at his last bottle. "Zordon… is this how you imagined my life would turn out when you recruited me? Did you ever stop to think… we could die? And what would you have done… if we did?"


	14. Chapter 14

Power Rangers: Public Enemies

Chapter 13: Violence

"What is the meaning of this!" Mack was being pushed by the Military personnel. "Come on, we didn't… we HAD them!"

"Be quiet!" The Officer pushes him with his rifle. Mack falls, and hurts his jaw. Taylor rushes to his side to help him up. However, she is stopped by another soldier.

"Let me go!" Taylor was about to punch the soldier, but stops herself. She knows she is vastly outnumbered. "Why'd you intervene? The US Government said we had three days!"

"Congress has deemed the situation to be too critical to be trusted to the hands of civilians. Therefore, we have orders to hunt down all Rangers." The leader of these Special Forces, wearing a protective helmet that concealed his identity, pushes Taylor into the ground.

"Miss, sorry. Let me help you up." A young soldier extends his hand towards Taylor. However, she rejects his help.

"Wait a minute. Hunt down ALL Rangers?" Chad steps forward. Several soldiers ready their weapons. "Why! Only a handful of Power Rangers are actually unregistered!"

"Sir, you seem to have forgotten. Several of these Rangers have expressed open hostility towards the Government. This is now a National Crisis." The Major taps Chad's chin with a baton. "You're relieved of duty."

"No! We were doing fine!" Mack gets up. Several soldiers cock their guns, ready to fire.

"Mack! Stand down!" Taylor extends her hand in a commanding fashion. Mack does as she says.

"Take those two Rangers into custody. The rest of you, after that Yellow one!"

Over in Outer Space…

The Astro Mega ship (Mark 3) was orbiting Aquitar. Andros observes as the drop ship he had dispatched earlier returned.

"Billy!" Andros walks towards the Veteran Ranger. "Feeling better?"

"Yes, thank you." Billy looks somewhat younger than he did a few hours ago. The effects of the Mystic Waters of Aquitar. "How goes the situation?"

"Billy, I won't lie. I am glad I do not live on Earth." Andros rubs his temple. "Shit's getting worse everyday."

"What about that thing we talked about?"

Andros places a disk into the computer. The screen shows a map of the world. "Well… so far, very few nations are willing to take the Power Rangers in. So far only Sri Lanka, Congo, Sudan, and India have expressed any interest in sheltering them."

"Each of those nations is currently under civil strife. Not a good idea…" Billy scratches his chin. "What about the other nations?"

"France, Spain, Greece, Argentina, Cote D'Ivoire, Singapore… every nation you suggested has rejected the idea of granting the Rangers any amnesty. Each and every one of them has cited 'difficulties.' In truth, each of these countries is still reeling from the crisis of last year. In fact, Greece and Spain are actually worse off now than they were last year." Andros looks at Billy. "You know, I still think we should just take them away to Space. It'd be easier."

"Andros, I've told them about that idea. Not one of them wants to leave Earth."

"Yeah… I can understand that." Andros sits down on his chair. "So… what will we do?"

"We continue with the second plan."

"I was hoping… you'd change your mind." Andros closes his eyes, thinking about what that plan entailed.

Over in Silver Hills…

A young college student eats his sandwich. It was made from Government Issue meat. Though it was not as bad as last year, the unemployment rate is still unacceptably high.

"Excuse me, young man. Spare some change?" The old homeless man extends his hand. The young college student, without hesitating, digs into his pocket, and hands him a few dimes. The old man smiles at him, and says "God Bless you, my son."

The young man sees Wes and Eric pass by. Suddenly, his blood begins to boil. He squeezes his sandwich, and throws it at Wes.

"Power Rangers!" The young college student picks up a rock, and throws it at Wes. "This is all YOUR fault!"

Eric, angry at the youth, begins walking towards him. However, Wes grabs his arm. "Let it go, Eric, ok? Let it go."

"Pieces of shit! If not for you, none of this would have happened!" The youth grabs a plastic bottle, intent on throwing it. The old man grabs his arm, while several strangers try to calm him down.

"Come on, kid. You don't want to do this." A young high school girl tries to calm him down. "It's not worth it."

However, the young man manages to push these good people out of the way, and rushes towards Wes. Eric, having had enough of that kid, morphs, pushes Wes out of the way, and punches the boy right in the stomach. The blow was strong enough send him flying about two feet away.

"You little piece of shit!" Eric walks towards the student, ignoring the pleas from bystanders to let him go. Eric stomps the guy's stomach. Suddenly, the pleas turn to jeers. Several bystanders start screaming at Eric, demanding that he stop. Suddenly, a laser blast hits Eric from behind. As he rolls on the ground, he finally sees Wes, morphed and blaster at the ready.

"Eric. Enough." Wes' voice is commanding. He means business. Eric gets up, and looks at the kid he just beat up. A wave of shame hits him, as he sees the youth lie on the floor, slipping out of conscience.

"I'm sorry." His apology is drowned by the anger of the crowd. They scream at him, calling him names best left unrepeated. They can't see it, but his face is now running with tears. Eric does not even try to defend himself when several of these bystanders start throwing rocks at him. Several Silver Guardians arrive, to put a stop to the coming riot. However, Eric calls them off. He de-morphs.

"Ok… I'll take it." Eric is pelted with several stones. Wes tries to intervene, but Eric will not let him. As Eric's bruised body hit's the floor, blood coming out of various cuts in his face, he is saved by an old man.

"Enough! All of you!" It is the same homeless man from before. "What is the matter with you! He stopped beating the kid! Why does he have to die, too!"

"Get off the way, old fart!" A large man throws a stone at the old man's face. As blood runs down his old, wrinkled face, he remains staunch.

"Listen to me! This young man's had enough! Look at you! Just moments ago, you were trying to impede violence! Why!" Another stone. Several Silver Guardians begin to try to arrest the riotous citizens. Some prepare their blasters…

Meanwhile…

Kenneth was now surrounded by the Military. To them, he seemed hostile. But within his helmet, you could see how scared he really was. Suddenly, a red Aura of energy blasts away some of the soldiers! A red blur arrives, and several more soldiers fall down!

"Ok guys! Listen to this!" Casey stood triumphantly in front of Kenneth, fully morphed in Jungle Master Mode. "You guys have declared war on the Power Rangers! Now, you get to face the Power those other guys were too nice to use!"

Casey charges his ki on his foot, leaps upward, and does a kicking motion. The collected ki fires onward like a wave of energy, wiping out the majority of the soldiers that had moments before tried tacking aim at him. A lone soldier tries to shoot Casey, but he is caught off guard by Ethan, who takes his gun away.

"What is this! Bullets!" Ethan breaks the gun in two with his Morphed hands. "Get with the program! It's all about lasers!"

That was the only soldier that was allowed to leave. As several bodies lay on the grass, Kenneth thanks his saviors.

"Hey! Casey and I are starting a new movement! Wanna join?"

"Yeah dude! We kicking the Government's ass!" Casey extends his hand toward Kenneth. Though Ken hesitates, he eventually shakes Casey's hand. Thus, Kenneth chooses…

Over in North Dakota…

A young girl is watching the news with her parents. Many experts comment on the rebellious Rangers, saying that the Government should use deadly force, if necessary. Her father looks on with worry. He fears for his country, and more importantly, for his family. The young girl, however, keeps looking at the picture she drew. It is a picture of herself as the Pink Wild Storm Ranger, a Power Ranger of her own creation. She hugs the crude drawing, unwilling to let go of that dream…


	15. Chapter 15

Power Rangers: Public enemies

Chapter 14: Breather

Rose read the newspaper. Things were bad, and steadily getting worse. Unemployment in America was now at 21%. The Dollar had, once again, fallen in value. It now took seven dollars to buy a half gallon of milk. Rose closed her eyes, tears falling down her face. She just kept thinking about it, about how much harder life was going to be for everybody. The worst part is, of course, the fact that no nation in the world was exempt from this situation. She thought about Mack. He was coerced to work for the Government. The same Government that blamed THEM for this mess. The same Government that thinks it can barge into people's property without warrants, arrest people without just cause. The same Government that can't handle this situation, despite all those empty promises that were made last year. Empty promises, like the promise of a better day, like a cloudy afternoon that gives no rain whatsoever… like the ring on her finger. Rose gets up, and looks around the bedroom. She kneels down, and takes out a box. She opens it. She had sworn to herself, she would wear that lingerie the next evening Mack would allow himself one night to relax. She would wear it for him… if only to keep his mind free from the times, even if just for one night. The ring on her finger is a promise. The lingerie in her hands is another.

…...

Tori looks on sadly at the abandoned shack. Two years prior, it was her surf shop. Two years prior, it was the culmination of everything she worked for, her dream since she was a child. Then… the economy. The economy… is that what was at fault? Who is to blame for the end of her dream? The economy? The times? The Government? Herself? To blame the economy is easy, as is blaming the Government. It wasn't me, it was out of my hands. So easy, so simple… just like everybody else. It couldn't be her fault. She worked hard. She was diligent in her duties, always checking inventory, always paying the bills, the rent… until she just couldn't pay anymore. The Federal Government needed funds, due to the huge loss that came from the destruction of Angel Grove. Sixty Billion… that would have to come from somewhere. Taxes were raised. But… not everyone could pay. She was one of the many who couldn't pay.

…...

"So, here's the plan, guys." Casey takes out a map of the state of California. "As you know, the ruins of the Command center have been under US custody since 1999. What we're going to do is, we're gonna launch a surprise attack, and retake the Command Center."

"Why would we do that?" Ethan gives Casey a questioning look.

"This will be a very symbolic thing, you know?" Casey folds the map. "Like, we're announcing the Ranger's identity…like… uh…"

Kenneth interjects. "A manifest of our Dignity. By taking back the Command Center, which is like the 'root' of the Ranger tradition, we will be announcing our pride as Power Rangers. More than that, however, retaking the Center would be a heavy blow to the Government's ego." Kenneth's explanation makes Casey smile.

"Couldn't have said it better myself." Casey pats Kenneth on the shoulder.

"I'm worried about how many casualties there will be." Ethan looks at his Morpher. His voice starts to trail off. "Seven years ago, I put this on so I could fight evil. Back then… it was easy to know who were the good guys…"

"We are STILL fighting evil!" Casey gets up. "We're just ordinary citizens, who were leading ordinary and unassuming lives. THEY were the ones who burst into our homes. THEY were the ones who forced us to give away our identities. THEY cuffed our hands. WE are using our powers for defense. THEY send their tanks and choppers at us. As far as I'm concerned, there's no difference between a Rinshi and an Army soldier these days. WE are the good guys here."

"Casey's right. We've done nothing wrong. The Government has brought this on itself." Kenneth grabs his Morpher, and stares at the setting sun. Tomorrow, they reach the Command Center…

…...

"Good evening ladies and gentlemen. This is 'Butting Heads' with William 0'Chancey. Tonight, my guests and I will discuss the latest threat to our great nation: the Power Rangers. Joining me tonight are celebrated Radio Personality, blogger and political commentator, Janet Couture; Representative of South Carolina for the Liberty Party, John Wood; and last but not least, Former mayor of Turtle Cove, currently aspiring for a future Vice Presidential nomination, Edward Franklin Pierce. Let us begin by stating the obvious: Should this new 'rebellion' of the Rangers be seen as a terrorist attack on our great nation?"

"Allow me to answer that question, with but a single word." Janet Couture crosses her legs. "Yes."

"I absolutely agree." Edward Pierce takes a sip from his water. "Our Government has been more than fair to the Power Rangers! George Sears and Jeremy Irons have failed this great nation of ours. They have failed us by giving the Power Rangers far too much freedom and far too much time to unite their forces!"

"What are you saying, mister Pierce?" Janet fixes her glasses as she smiles at the man sitting next to her. "Are you saying the President should have arrested these Rangers while they were registering?"

"My lady, what I will say next may shock, and even anger some of our viewers. The Power Rangers are now, for all intents and purposes, a terrorist group. They have demonstrated a disregard for the lives of our boys in uniform." Pierce wipes a tear from his eye. Then, he pounds the table with his fist. "And what have Sears and Irons done to solve this problem! They sit in the White House, drinking their tea like the uppity eggheads they are! Ladies and gentlemen, after we impeach Sears and Irons, I personally guarantee to do EVERYTHING in my future power as Vice President to RID our nation of this threat- ONCE AND FOR ALL!"

"What's happening right now could have been avoided if that dunce Sears hadn't blamed the Rangers for the mess of 2010 to begin with!" John Wood intercepts, cleaning his glasses. "The problem was never with the Rangers, it was with the fact that too many buildings were Government owned. I, and many others of my Party, believe that this whole mess could have been avoided if America had kept to her pure, Laissez-Faire roots. My Liberty Party calls for an end to Government Intervention of the Market, and we stand for the Pockets of the average Americans. I also, personally, believe that we should NOT arrest any of the Rangers, save for those whom have already proven themselves a threat to this nation of ours."

"Well, I think that your party is full of it. I say that those Technicolor freaks should learn that when they act, the American people REACT!" Janet stands up, and addresses the camera. "People of America, don't stay at home eating Cheese Puffs! Get out there, and get angry! Tell your local Representative that you are mad as heck, and that you are not gonna take it anymore!"

"We've got a call" William O'Chancey signals Janet to sit down. "Yes, caller. You are on the air."

"Yes, I've got something to say to all of you. You people, have you forgotten? Have you forgotten Rita Repulsa, the Machine Empire and the Countdown to Destruction? Have you forgotten how many times the Power Rangers have saved the World! Is THIS how treat the people who save your lives!" The caller's voice is growing with passion. "You people make me sick! 'Oh, 2010 was the Rangers fault!' you say. I say you're full of it. Yes, 2010 was a tragedy. Yes, we'd all rather it didn't happen again. But what you guys are doing, and this includes the Government's current actions, is inexcusable! Guys like you just keep stirring up trouble, calling for people to get angry! Instead, you could have used your positions as public figures, to inspire people to move forward, and not let the Government to deny the basic rights of those whom we owe our lives! And why is the Government blaming the Rangers for something that's being solved little by little? Who gains from seeing the Rangers in jail? Things are not getting worse because of the Rangers! Things are getting worse because we'd rather look for people to blame for letting things get worse, than actively work to make them better! And what's worse is people like you, people who actively attempt to make things worse by encouraging people to seek scapegoats! People like you, who keep going on and on, pointing the finger at who's to blame, than pointing to the direction we should take to improve our world! My name is Farcus Bulkmeyer, and you can QUOTE me on that!"

…...

Bulk hangs the phone, and turns off the TV. He'd rather not keep watching. He rubs his eyes, thinking about what he had said. Someone is standing outside of his house, and picks up a stone. This stone, the person thought, would teach that anti-American bastard a thing or two. This person, however, stops when he sees a large group of people getting out of their houses, and heading towards Bulk's house. A young man rings the doorbell. Bulk gets up, nervous over the idea of getting lynched. He had said something many would not agree with, after all. He opens the door.

The crowd cheers for Bulk for saying what was in the minds of many, but on the lips of few.

…...

"Mack? Will you be coming home tonight?" Rose tries to fight the tears. It was rather late, but she promised herself she would wait for Mack to come home.

"Rose… I want to go home, I really do. But… they have me here… they won't let me go home until I do what they tell me." Mack himself was also on the verge of tears.

"Mack, tell them no! Tell them you have your rights!" Rose's tears were falling freely now. "Tell them you already did what you had to do!"

"I can't. I failed my last mission. Rose… right now, things are bad, and they look to get worse." Mack can't stop his own tears.

"Mack…next month.." Mack interrupts Rose mid sentence.

"That is the one thing I have no intention of missing, honey." Mack looks at his own ring. "I don't care what I have to do. I will be there."

Mack hangs up the phone. He starts crying again, but stops as soon as he sees Taylor.

"No, Mack. It's ok, you can cry." Taylor approaches him, and places a comforting hand on his shoulder. "This is the one time, you have every right to cry."

…...

The three Rangers walked towards the ruins of the Command Center. The Sun rises over the California desert. Today, everything changes…


	16. Chapter 16

Power Rangers: Public Enemies

Chapter 15: The times they are a-changing

(A/N: The lyrics to this song are copyright Bob Dylan. Please give it a listen, it is quite good.)

A young man plays his guitar in front of the café. His guitar case has about two dollars and thirteen cents worth of change. Few actually stop to listen to him sing, which is quite unfortunate, considering he's so talented. He strums the guitar for a bit, then he begins playing. He opens his mouth, and starts a new song.

_**Come gather, young people, wherever you roam**_

(Casey, Ethan and Kenneth stand atop the hills overlooking the ruins of the command center.)

_**And admit that the waters around you have grown**_

( The three Rangers are morphed and ready to take on the soldiers that are station on top of the ruins.)

_**And accept it that soon, you'll be drenched to the bone**_

( The soldiers are completely unaware of the three Rangers looking down on them.)

_**If your time to you is worth saving**_

(The soldiers are, otherwise, attentive and at the ready, as they have been trained to be.)

_**Then you'd better start swimming, our you'll sink like a stove**_

(The three Rangers leap down on the unsuspecting soldiers, landing in the middle of their Base.)

_**For the times, they are a-changing.**_

(Kimberly looks on at an old photo of herself and the other five original Mighty Morphing Power Rangers. Her eyes reflect the wave of nostalgia that she feels just looking at those faces, remembering times that will never return.)

_**Come writers and critics, who prophesize with your pens**_

(Ernest McCarthy takes a sip of his coffee, writing on his memoirs. He's already writing about his tenure as senator during the Reagan years. His wife, Ladybird, is watching the news.)

_**And keep your eyes wide, the chance won't come again**_

(Bulk and Skull were playing with Irene, Skull and Kimberly's daughter. Bulk pays half attention to the radio program.)

_**And don't speak too soon, the wheel's still in spin**_

(Ken grabs two soldiers and throws them at the main tent. One of those soldiers suffers a fractured leg because of this, whilst the other screams in agony as blood gets in his eyes. The blood is her own.)

_**And there's no telling who that it's naming**_

(Ethan marches across the base, receiving no damage from the rain of bullets that are fired at him. He grabs a jeep, and throws it at the soldiers. The jeep crushes three soldiers. Two of them die. One of them has a picture of a baby girl in her jacket.)

_**And the loser now, will be later to win**_

(Billy looks over some schematics aboard the Astro Megaship mark 3. He takes a sip of his Mystic Water.)

_**For the times, they are a-changing**_

(A young man writes some graffiti under the bridge. It reads 'Sears is a Communist'.)

_**Come senators, congressmen, please heed the call**_

(Ladybird glares at the folder her husband has on the coffee table. Ernest picks it up, and begins to make some changes to the document within it. He closes the folder. It reads 'Act for Detaining Suspect un-American Traitors'.)

_**Don't stand in the doorway, don't lock up the hall**_

(Ernest McCarthy writes down some more on his laptop. He then shuts it down, and turns on the radio.)

_**For he who gets hurt, will be he who has stalled**_

(Casey uses his Jungle Chucks to smash three more soldiers in the face. He grabs another soldier's gun, breaks it, and kicks her square in the chest.)

_**The battle outside raging**_

(Ethan stands atop the two dead soldiers, completely ignoring the rest of the battle.)

_**Will soon shake your windows, and rattle your walls**_

(Carter and Dana watch as dozens upon hundreds of helicopters rush over to the Angel Grove desert area. They have no idea what is going on, but figure they should watch the news immediately.)

_**For the times, they are a-changing**_

(George Sears looks at his desk. His eyes keep looking at the bill he had signed not so long ago, the Ranger Act bill. Not one night goes by when he does not curse the hand that signed it.)

_**Come mothers and fathers, throughout the land**_

(As Bulk listens to the emergency news broadcast, he falls on his knees in tears.)

_**And don't criticize what you can't understand**_

(Kimberly turns on the TV. She begins to sob hysterically at the image on the TV. Three Rangers, desecrating what she considers to be sacred ground, by killing innocent soldiers.)

_**Your sons and your daughters are beyond your command**_

(Using his Shark Saber, Casey destroys the last of the Helicopters, ensuring that the only soldiers that could escape would be those they allowed to do so.)

_**Your old role is rapidly fading**_

(A light drizzle begins to fall on Trini Kwan's tombstone. The Saber Tooth Tiger coin embedded on the tombstone grows opaque.)

_**Please get out of the new one if you can't lend your hand**_

(Jason watches the news on the TV as Wind and Blaise try to eat. He gets up, outraged at seeing three Rangers attack the soldiers stationed in the ruins of the Command Center. He then looks on in horror as he recognizes Kenneth as being amongst them.)

_**For the times they are a-changing**_

("This is Kenny Brokelstein, for ABC News! I am reporting live from Angel Grove Desert where, completely unprovoked, three rogue Rangers have began to decimate the Charlie Zordon Military Base! Oh, the humanity! We have been attacked, in our own home! Is nothing sacred anymore? Are we no longer safe in our own backyards!")

The youth, looking dejected, picks up his guitar case. He sees only four dollars worth of change in his guitar case. He gets up, and leaves, knowing he will not be able to eat lunch that day.

…...

Ethan gets up off his knees. He sees the helicopters that come from the horizon. He knows this will get worse.

"Let's get the hell out of here!" He yells at the top of his lungs, grabbing Casey and Ken. "It's not worth it!"

"No way, with our Zords, we can take em!" Casey tries to get him to let go.

"No! Killing people is not worth it!"

Ken places a comforting hand on Ethan's shoulder. "Yo Casey. I agree with him. Come on, killing soldiers…might make things worse. I know for a fact, it won't make anything better."

The three Rangers make their retreat. Casey himself begins to feel ashamed of the actions he took that day…

General Wade Miles inserts a small disc into a computer. He enters the password. He views over the contents of the disc. He glances over to a photo of his young son. In the photo, his son holds an old tin action figure of Blasto Man, an old hand me down that belonged to Wade Mile's father when he was a boy.

"America does not deserve heroes." Wade Mile's normally hard stare softens as he looks at the picture of his ill son. "But you do, Henry."


	17. Chapter 17

Power Rangers: Public Enemies

Chapter 15: The blind leading the blind

"This is an outrage!" George Sears slams his fist onto his podium. "It's one thing to force them to register with the Government. But…what you are trying to do is a clear violation of everything this Country stands for! Everything this country was MADE for!"

"Mister President, yesterday's events are a clear indicator that we have underestimated the Ranger threat." President of Congress, Al Schroeder, keeps his composure. "We underestimated them. We never thought they would attack unprovoked."

"No, 'they' didn't attack unprovoked! Three INDIVIDUAL Rangers attacked unprovoked!" George Sears now looks disheveled. His hair is a mess, his shirt is wrinkled, his sleeves are somewhat torn. The veins in his hands are pulsating. "We know who they are, we can bring them to justice. But what YOU'RE suggesting, that's not justice!"

"Mister President, please sit down." Congressman Alan Shrub takes a sip from his water bottle. "You are in a house of Law and Order. Act like it."

"Don't tell ME how to act!" Sears knocks down the podium.

"Remove the President from Congress!" Al Schroeder slams his gavel. "What a shame, such a magnificent country as this has to have such a BARBARIAN as it's leader!"

President Sears regains his composure before the guards grab him. He straightens his tie, buttons his sleeves, fixes his shirt, and combs his hair. The guards, who waited patiently for him to finish, are stunned when Sears asks them to please get out of his way. Sears, his head held up high, shows himself to the door.

"Ladies and gentlemen of Congress. As the President is no longer fit to lead the Nation, I would like to propose two things. First, we veto his veto on Project Justice. Second, I'd like to take a vote of No Confidence, for the impeachment of George Sears." Al Schroeder takes out some papers.

Sears storms into the Oval Office. He grabs his lamp, and throws it to the wall. He rips up any paper he can find. He completely rips out his Bible, his copy of Also Spracht Zarathustra, and many other books. However, he stops short of ripping out his copy of Plato's 'Republic'. He calms himself down. He flips across the pages. He gently places his copy back on his shelf.

"Hey George. The Religious Right is gonna have a field day when they realize you ripped your bible apart." Jeremy Irons, Vice President of the US, steps in.

"Jer, they did it. They fucking did it." George slumps himself unto his desk. "They signed the one bill to end this country. Project Justice."

"Remind me what it was?" Jeremy picks up the torn papers off the floor. "No way in hell I'm letting anyone have ammo against my best bro."

"Project Justice is an operation, headed by the CIA and the FBI, which will hunt down every Power Ranger. They will utilize the information we have gathered from when they registered, hunt them down, and arrest them."

"Shit." Jeremy's eyes widen at the realization, but then he remembers something/ "Currently, the Power Rangers are marked as Threat Level Yellow. They can't detain them in anything greater than a federal prison."

"This morning, at precisely 5:35 AM, they were elevated to Threat Level Red." Sears speaks in a somber tone.

"That means there's only one place they will be taken." Jeremy's hands shake visibly. "Piedra del Diablo."

"America's Hellhole. Pretty much one of only a few reasons we keep Puerto Rico as a territory." George Sears takes out his whiskey.

"No. George, remember. We've been through this." Jeremy grabs the bottle. George tries to calm himself down.

"Had I fucking known what was gonna go down… I'd never had signed that bill." George looks at his desk, cursing that particular day.

"Congress pressured you, remember?" Jeremy serves himself a shot of whiskey. "You had quite a lot of Congressmen calling you, telling you all about how the Power Rangers had done this and that."

"Hey, come on now. I'm to blame, too." George takes off his tie. "After all, I was biased too. I wanted someone to blame…for loosing my home. It was easy to blame the Rangers."

"Well, the past is there to remind us of our mistakes." Jeremy drinks another shot of whiskey.

"Jeremy…I…" Sears looks at his papers. He sighs, defeated. He gets up, and accidentally knocks some papers down. He picks them up. He suddenly sees a small disk. "What's this?"

"Isn't that one of yours?" Jeremy looks at the disc. "It's got your company logo on it."

"A Gigabyte disc. Yeah, my company stopped making these about half a decade ago. Pen drives were the new thing, you see." George looks at the disc with maximum curiosity. "I wonder why this is here?"

"Think there's something in it?" Jeremy caps the whiskey bottle, and puts it away.

"Let's check." Sears places the disk into his hard drive. A password is needed. "Damn. I guess we will never know the password."

George Sears buries his head within his hands. "This would be a good time for a Deus ex Machina, huh? Hah ha ha."

Suddenly, brilliance strikes the man. He types in what he believes is the password: Deus ex Machina. It was the right password.

"How!" Jeremy is amazed.

"My discs were always password locked. My company made those discs especially for storing 'top secret' information. During the early nineties, we sold them to the Government. Then during the late nineties, we sold them to the people. We programmed those discs to always be password safe. Always. There was this program within them, that automatically allowed the user to change the password after 5 successful log ins. The default password that we encrypted was Deus ex Machina." Sears smiles proudly at his creation. "We called it 'Digital Lock'."

"What's in it?" Irons was now deathly curious.

"Some statistics." George Sears orders a coffee from his secretary. "Huh? What are these? SOP System, Hartford Industries financial reports…what is all this?"

"Hartford Industries is the company that managed to make Ranger Technology that could, theoretically, be mass produced." Jeremy sits down. "SOP System is an old AI system that we used in our attempts to make working androids. We got the blueprints from those ruins on the Moon."

"When did we start making androids?" Sears looks on, fascinated by the information.

"Well, we thought it could be a cheaper alternative to Ranger Tech. We were wrong." Irons wipes the sweat off his brow.

"What's this? AM System, Z System… Ranger Act?" Sears drops his cup.

"AM System…my company makes that…" Irons starts sweating more now. "My God…"

"What's wrong?"

"George…AM is a System designed to allow machinery to act on its own. Using this System, we were hoping to create a special type of robot that could go to the places man cannot. We made it for purely scientific reasons."

"Z System? Do you know what that is?" Sears is now astounded by these finds.

"That is also a creation of Hartford. Using this system, two or more machines can combine to create a new one. Our military uses it to combine tanks with jets…" Irons is starting to connect the dots.

"Jer, what do these four things have to do with the Ranger Act?" Sears had connected the dots as well. "There's something big going on, Jer."

"We're blind, George." Jeremy sits down, somewhat hyperventilating. "We're the blind leading the blind…"

…...

Echo had been swimming around the Lost Sea. The Lost Sea is an area protected by the magic of Lemuria, the lost civilization. Memories stir within Echo's mind, remembering the days of Lemuria's glory. However, Echo presses on. He has no time to reminisce. He swims through the ruins of what had once been the Temple of the Ocean Goddess. The sun's rays shine through the old crystal spires, giving the water a small shimmer. The ground is laden with old marble tiles, a testament to Lemuria's ancient glory. But as I said, there's no time to take in the sights. Echo manages to find the Chamber of a Thousand Faces.

"Son of Lemuria, we welcome you." One of the Faces gains life. "We are the Thousand. What is it you wish?"

"I wish to rescue the Guardians of Mu." Echo speaks up.

"Son of Lemuria, guide to the Guardians of Mu. You're request is heard." Another of the heads gains life.

"Son of Lemuria, the Goddess has spoken. May the Green Guardian be given the Rage of Lemuria." A fourth face comes to life.

"The Pool of the Goddesses can be used one more time. If the Guardians have strayed, you may use the magic within it one last time." A broken face gains life as it says this.

"Thank you." Echo attempts to communicate telepathically with Jason. "Jason, can you hear me?"

"Yes I can, Echo." Jason responds telepathically. "Thank you for calling me. We are in trouble. Arthur and Bell have been arrested."

"Jason, I am aware. For this reason, I have sought the lost magic of Lemuria." Echo responds, attempting to keep his emotions in check.

"It must have been hard for you to return there, my friend. Thank you." Jason breathes a sigh of relief.

"Jason, I can use the teleportation magic twice. And only twice. Shall I rescue Bella and Arthur?"

"No, Echo. Many other Rangers have been arrested unfairly. We need to rescue them as well. Save your magic for when we truly need it."

"Do you have a plan, Jason?" Echo knew, he didn't need to ask that question.

"Kind of do. The risk factor is steep, though."

Echo laughs. "Did you know you were granted the Rage of Lemuria?"

"Oh? Then that means the risk factor has shot down considerably." Jason chuckles as he raises his hands. Blaise and Wind stand beside him, trusting his judgment completely, as hundreds of helicopters and military jeeps close in on them…


	18. Chapter 18

Power Rangers: Public Enemies

Chapter 17: The Carrot Patch

Piedra del Diablo, a prison located within an islet off the coast of Puerto Rico. Maximum Security, located within a heavily fortified locale. No shores to land boats in, entry is possible only via the air. A small heliport is the only entrance, and exit to the prison. A fortress, no, a prison designed to house America's most dangerous enemies. Today, it houses the Power Rangers. Specifically, it houses the Mystic Force (Sans Vida, Udonna, Daggeron and Leanbow), Theo, Lilly, Bella and Arthur.

Rick Johnson signed up for the Army to protect his home country from terrorists. Today, he wears his uniform proudly as he looks over the Power Rangers being marched across the underground hallways of Piedra del Diablo. He looks over at his right for a millisecond, stealing a glance at Amy Richter. He liked Amy, a lot.

Amy Richter signed up for the Army because it was the only way she could pay for college. She didn't really care for anything the Army stood for. For her, the Army was a paycheck she earned. And that paycheck pays for her studies, which is what she truly cares about. She hopes to become a doctor, once she finishes college. She looks ahead of her, and across the orange suited Rangers, she sees her friend, Lawrence Weber.

Lawrence Weber joined the Army to keep the family tradition going. Ever since the great Spanish American war of 1898, there's been a Weber serving in the military. When Lawrence was born, his future was long since decided. Lawrence liked the military, however. He really didn't have a choice.

"Ten-Hut! All prisoners will be taken to the mess hall, to eat their appointed lunch!" Lawrence yells out, commanding the soldiers to direct the Rangers to the mess hall.

"God, why do they have us in chains?" Bella asks Arthur. She gets pushed to the ground for speaking. Arthur, furious about this, attempts to start a fight with the soldier. Five soldiers start beating him with batons.

"Take this one to solitary confinement!" Sgt McCalip commands. "For the love of God, someone sedate this fucker!"

Arthur stops moving, as the sedation shot courses his veins. They take his bloodied body to solitary confinement, where he will be a danger to no one.

"Alright, carrots. Lunch time." the instructor points to dog bowls on the floor. Every Ranger is forced to his or her knees. No one bothers holding back the girls hair. Every Ranger's hands are cuffed, so they couldn't eat with their hands.

"I hate this." Madison says, tears in her eyes. She gets kicked in the behind by a soldier. The kick is enough to knock her out of balance, as she lands face first into her wet ground beef. It was really dog food.

Rick hurried towards Madison. He attempts to pick her up. His instructor glares at him dangerously. "Don't touch the slime, maggot!" Taken aback, Rick steps away.

Lawrence and Amy stood watching the Rangers, guns in their hand. Amy felt disgusted by the idea of forcing people to eat dog food. Lawrence felt that the Rangers deserved this treatment. To him, they were no better than terrorists.

Meanwhile…

"Mack…you ok?" Rose speaks to Mack over the phone.

"Yeah, Rose. They just want me to check out this prison, where they keeping the Rangers." Mack felt a knot in his throat as he said that last part. The helicopter began to make its landing. Mack steps outside.

"No phones." A soldier takes Mack's phone away from him, and hangs it up. Mack began to protest, but remembered where he was. He composes himself best he can.

Back inside the prison…

"Take these maggots back to their cells!" Colonel Howitzer commands all the soldiers. The soldiers pull the Rangers out of the ground. The girls get pulled by the hair, the boys by their shirts. Lawrence escorts Chip to his cell, opens it, and then pushes Chip to the ground. Hard. With the hilt of his gun.

"Aren't you being too hard on these people?" In contrast, Rick merely showed Xander into his cell, seeing no need to push him in.

"No one's here, unless they deserve to be here." Lawrence salutes his superior, as she walks by. "I believe the American Republic knows what she's doing."

"Well, the American Republic thinks it's ok to feed people dog food." Amy leans back against the wall. She didn't push Theo into his cell either.

"America makes no mistakes. We saved the world from the Nazis, from the Germans, and from the Japanese." Lawrence beams with pride. Amy scoffs at Lawrence's ignorance of History. She shakes her head, and walks off.

"Shh, here comes that inspector guy." Rick stands at attention as Mack approaches them. Rick and Lawrence escort Mack around the Prison, as he inspects.

"How're the prisoners treated here?" Mack eyes the prison suspiciously, Every cell was closed tightly, blocked by walls rather than bars. It was like this prison was full of solitary confinement cells.

"We treat them according to protocol, sir." Lawrence answers. Just like he's been trained to do

"I'd like to look inside one of these cells." Mack speaks in an insistent manner.

"Sir, we cannot allow such a thing. For your own safety, we assure you." Lawrence answers once again.

"I worked with these people in the past. I assure you, they are not dangerous." Mack once again speaks in a semi authorities manner. He can tell, Lawrence was unprepared to face such a tone.

"We would like to see the papers that authorize such a thing." Rick spoke out of turn. When Mack looked at him, he knew he said something he shouldn't have.

"General Wade Miles himself authorized me to inspect your treatment of the Power Rangers. Here's the paperwork that proves it." Mack hands Rick the papers. Rick gulps, as he feels the deathly gaze of his superiors.

"Pardon my comrade, he's new." Amy intervenes. Rick still feels nervous over his gaffe. He can tell, he was gonna get yelled at.

Madison, who had heard Mack's voice, rushed to her cell's door. She peered out, but was unable to see anything. However, she knew it was him by the sound of his voice. She thinks of an idea. She begins tapping her cell door, hoping he would listen. She taps in Morse code…

"Well then, allow me to check one of these cells." Mack approaches Theo's cell. However, he stops for a second once he hears Madison's tapping. It was quite loud, very noticeable. He keeps a neutral face, deciphering the message in his head. H-E-L…

"Cut it out!" One of the soldiers knocks on the door with his fist. Mack's eyes bulge out upon realizing the implications of Madison's message.

"I do believe I have seen enough." Mack straightens his suit, and heads for the exit. Though his face remains neutral, his mind races with the possibilities of how the Rangers are doing.

"Rose? Yeah, I just got out of the Piedra. Listen…something fishy is going on in there. I don't know…I think the Government might be mistreating them." Mack's eyes bulge out once he hears his call get cut off. He hears the mechanic voice at the other end of the phone. "This call has been cut off due to National Security issues."

Mack puts his phone back in his jacket. "Take me home." He tells his pilot. In his pocket, he grabs hold of his Tracker…

Meanwhile back at the Piedra…

"This fucking bitch!" One of the soldiers burst Madison's door open, and drags her out by the hair. Madison's painful yells eco across the prison. Chip, Nick and Xander bang on their jail cells, demanding that she be let go. Colonel Howitzer commands his units to detain the three. Bella and Lilly both fear for Madison's safety. Theo resigns himself to his helplessness.

"Mother fucker, stand the fuck down!" A soldier tries to sedate Chip, but finds his shot has been knocked out of his hand by Chip's kicking. He then takes out a can of mace, shakes it, and sprays Chip's face with it. He empties the can on Chips face. His painful yells, however, don't compare to the sheer horror that resonate with Madison's.

"Stop! What the hell are you two doing?" Lawrence attempts to intervene, but is told by his superior to stand down. Amy keeps Rick from attempting to stop his superiors from committing their horrible deed. Rick and Lawrence can only stand there, helpless, as they see their superior officers rape a tearful Madison Rocca.

Lawrence steps outside to the heliport. He peers over to the seaside, and promptly vomits. Everything his family stood for, everything he believed in, was completely destroyed once he saw Colonel Howitzer forcefully insert his penis into Madison's vagina.

Chip lays on the floor, his body in agony, unable to open his eyes. But Chip's mind is only on one thing: Vengeance. He wants to kill the President that called for this useless witch hunt. He wants to kill the beasts that dared to steal Madison's virtue. He wants to brutally murder every last US soldier. He wants to soak his hands with the blood of the traitor that dared to sell them out: Mackenzie Hartford. His body twitches on the floor, as his ears echo the screams of a violated Madison.

Madison lay on the floor, naked. She feels numb, unable to move, unable to think, to feel. Rick enters her cell, carrying a blanket. He wraps her up with it.

Rick steps out of her cell. He collapses to the floor, and begins to cry. Amy places a comforting hand on his shoulder. "This is wrong, this is so wrong." Rick knows, he will never get that image out of his head.

A helicopter lands. Three scared soldiers rush out. "We had them! Three Rangers…they just vanished!" Colonel Howitzer commands them to calm down, and explain what had happened.

Jason, Wind and Blaise had been teleported out of the helicopter by Echo's magic. Confronting Kenneth, Ethan and Casey (and after a few good disciplinary punches, courtesy of Jason), Jason states his plan.

"We are going to Piedra del Diablo. That's where they are keeping the Rangers." Jason continues to explain the rest of his plan…

Meanwhile…

"Rose, I don't know what will happen, but…I want you to leave the country." Mack paces around the house He enters the kitchen, and is stunned to find Taylor and Chad there, waiting for him.

"General Miles ordered us to be here." Chad explains.

"Guys… they're being tortured, I'm sure of it." Mack explains his story.

"Let us help you." Taylor offers her hand.

"Rose…" Mack looks at his pleading fiancé. Mack kisses her. "Tomorrow. Tonight…let me have a night with Rose. It's…been a while."

…..

General Wade Miles watches as Alex Schroeder approves more security measure for Piedra del Diablo.

….

Carlos keeps looking at the Crystal in his hand. The Green Crystal of Gaia… Two years ago, this very crystal was one of six to be used to open up a portal to Hell. He still remembers the sight of Mesogog rising out of a pillar of flame, flanked by some of the worst monsters the Rangers have faced throughout their History.

"What does Billy want with this?"


	19. Chapter 19

Power Rangers: Public Enemies

Chapter 18: A lot of talking. Too much, maybe

Mack and Rose held each other tightly. As Mack observed Rose sleeping, his mind tried to make sense of what he had seen that day.

"H.E.L… shit…" Mack's mind raced. "I helped the Government do this. I HELPED the Government do this…"

Mack looks at Rose. She is fully asleep. He touches her soft, copper colored skin. He had to admit to himself, she looked so beautiful. He smiles, remembering the happier times. Then he silently laughs to himself, remembering that, during those times, he was a robot. He gets up, grabs his pants and puts them on. As he puts his shirt back on, he looks at Rose, one more time. He didn't want to leave her again. But he knew, this was something he needed to do.

"Chad had to do it, because he was a Government issued Ranger. Taylor had to do it, because she is a member of the US Armed Forces. What's my excuse?" Mack goes down the stairs. "I did it all on my own free will. I am the only one guilty of treason. I HAVE to do this…alone."

Mack opens the door, grabs his morpher, and goes down to the basement. He turns on the lights, standing atop Operation Overdrive's Zord hangar. He descends the stairs, walking towards Sonic Streak. He climbs the Zord, gets in, and turns it on. He starts flying the Zord, last of the OO Zords to still work.

Spencer held Rose, as she watches Mack leave without saying a word. Between the two of them, there was this silent understanding. He had to go. Both knew that.

Meanwhile…

Jason sat on the grass, watching the camp fire burn. He looks to his side, and sees Ethan, still awake.

"Can't sleep?" Jason stirs the cinders. "Have a big day tomorrow."

"Understatement of the century." Ethan does not look at anyone, choosing to stare at his Morpher. "Blood…"

"What?" Jason looks at Ethan's Morpher.

"I…see blood. Jason… I killed them…" Ethan's eyes start to water. "I killed someone."

"I see. Yet you never had a problem killing monsters?" Jason keeps stirring the cinders.

"No… I mean… those monsters we killed…they always…" Ethan's eyes started to dart around, searching for something to keep his gaze away from the Morpher. "I… don't know."

"You don't know what?" Jason sits up straight, and looks at Ethan.

"The difference… is there a difference between Monsters and humans?' Ethan looks at his Morpher again.

"Yes." Jason stands up, and dusts his pants. "And I think you know it too."

"Monster terrorize people…hurt them…" Ethan buries his face in his hands. "But… so do soldiers."

"Huh?" Jason is taken aback.

"Soldiers…go in and kill people. That's their job. To kill. Their tools are tools of murder…" Ethan glances at his Morpher. "So… I don't know… maybe they are not so different from Monsters."

"Soldiers are people too. There's your difference." Jason says with utmost certainty. "Soldiers aren't faceless troops. They are people. People doing a job they signed up for. People with hopes and dreams, histories, families. The monsters we've fought before never had that."

"I wonder who it was I killed…what their names were…" Ethan starts to cry.

"Ethan…" Jason sits down next to him.

"I'm not sure of anything anymore." Ethan dries his tears. "Except for one thing. I hope never to kill again."

In a chapel in Wisconsin…

"Oh… I SAW the mountain road ahead of me! And I saw how poisonous snakes and deadly scorpions HINDERED my way!" the old preacher is on fire. "But I KNEW! I had faith that the lord JESUS was there with me!

"Preach it, father!" The old lady in the wooden bench yells out.

"I knew the LORD was there for me. As I kept the faith on Him, He stood by me during those turbulent times." The choir sings at this moment, giving the frail preacher time to catch his breath. "Now, brothers and sisters, I know we are going through a turbulent time right now. We have placed our faith in men."

"That George Sears was good at making promises, but not so good at keeping them!" A young girl shouts out.

"Brothers and sisters, George Sears is nothing more than another chapter in our latest trend. Putting our faith in man. It says so, right here in the Good Book in Mathew 5:19-23 'For the Man who places his faith in his fellow man is a FOOL! For he who places his faith in his fellow man places his faith in the works of sinners. But he who places his faith in the Lord, my Father, shall be the only one who shall NOT be disappointed!' It's right here! It's in the Bible! The Lord does not tell lies!" The old preacher takes a drink of water, as the choir sings.

"Now, brothers and sisters, allow me to get to the point. We have, since the year 1993, been placing our faith, in the hands of men. Yes, brothers and sisters, we have placed our faith in the Power Rangers. For 18 years, we have placed our faith in the hands of men. We STOPPED praising the lord, and began to praise MEN. Our prayers became directed to FLAWED men, SINFUL men. Powerful men? No. The Bible says, in the good book of Elijah 14:33-34, that no man on Earth is powerful, for all power comes from God." The old preacher begins slamming his fist into his podium. "And what has prayers to men given us? What has worshiping fellow sinners wrought us? 2010. Yes, 2010 was a punishment from our God, almighty! America has strayed too far from the righteous path! Now, we still face His righteous punishment. But! We STILL have a chance to repent. Now, brothers and sisters, we shall begin to pray, for the good of our nation. Pray for George Sears' punishment, for the banishment of the Power Rangers into the pits of Hell. And most of all, brothers and sisters, pray for America."

In the flowered fields of Corinth…

Ashley stared at the full moon. She holds in her hand the Yellow crystal of Gaia.

"I think there's only one of these left out there." Ashley thinks to herself. "Jesus, the moon looks beautiful. Maybe Andros and I can come over here next full moon."

Ashley gets up, puts the Crystal in her pocket, and presses a button on her communicator.

"Hey!" Justin runs up to Ashley. "Sorry I'm late."

"What took you?" Ashley bops him on the shoulder. "Come on, we need to get going. I already signaled the ship to come get us."

"Sorry…just needed to grab Alpha." Justin signals to the little robot behind him. Alpha runs as fats as he can towards the two former Rangers.

"Hey, did Alpha grow taller?" Ashley giggles.

"Ay yi yi, you think so?" Alpha's voice is hopeful. That was when the Megaship Mark 3 arrived…


	20. Chapter 20

Power Rangers: Public Enemies

Chapter 19: Assault at Piedra del Diablo

Billy stood over Trini's grave, smoking a cigarette.

"Hey Trini. Sorry I haven't been able to visit you lately." Billy's weak smile reflects his inner turmoil. :I just been busy, is all. Wow, so much moss has accumulated lately."

Billy grabs a small stick and scrapes off the moss from Trini's tombstone. Actually, there wasn't much moss to begin with.

"Hey, Trini. I just need one more, ok? Just one more Crystal of Gaia…" Billy feels his throat getting drier and drier. "I haven't been feeling well lately."

Billy takes his cigarette bud and flicks it away. He grabs another cigarette, but can't find his lighter.

"Hey, Trini, got a light?" A tear is starting form in his eyes. "I miss you every day."

Billy hears someone approaching. He turns around, and sees a woman with her head wrapped in a headscarf.

"Well, that doesn't stand out in any way, Kat." Billy smirks. "So, got any news?"

"Some Rangers are starting to leave the planet. But most have declined." Kat surveys her surroundings.

"That's all for the best, I guess. We will be ok…" Billy takes out a bottle of his Mystic Water, and drinks it. "Just have to wait for the right opportunity."

Meanwhile…

Jason jumped out of the Manta Zord, fully morphed as the Green Ranger of Mu. As he lands smack dab in the middle of Piedra del Diablo's helicopter landing zone, several soldiers rush towards him, guns at the ready. Jason raises his hands, and a pair of Chain Whips appear to his side. He grabs them, and lashes out at the soldiers. The whips release a type of green electricity, which hits about five or six soldiers, incapacitating them. Jason kept cracking his whips, as he faces a torrent of bullets. Above him, the Stingray and Manta Ray Zords kept the jets and helicopters busy. Three Rangers jump off the Stingray Zord, landing just behind enemy lines.

"Wind! Come on, we need to lure them away." Blaise pilots the White Stingray Zord. He shoots some lasers at the jets, deliberately aiming only at their wings.

"Right behind you, love." Wind shoots a larger laser at the helicopter blades, sending them plummeting to the waves.

As the Manta and Stingray Zords fly off, several thousand helicopters and fighter planes arrive from the Puerto Rican mainland, attempting to stop them. The two Zords lead them away from the battle zone, cautiously shooting at those that get too close to Jason.

Within the prison…

Mack saw a good number of soldiers abandoning their posts. He gulps, knowing something big is happening. He holds onto his morpher, feeling he WILL need it. However, he still had a mission. He searches for Madison's cell. He tries to look inside, but finds that the cell itself is too dark. He taps some Morse code on the door: H.E.L.P. H.E.R.E. Mack listens intently, hoping to hear just a faint tap, in spire of the blaring alarms. Finally he hears something. T.Y. That was all he needed to hear. He smiles to himself. All he needed to do was find the control panels.

A few floors above Mack…

"This way!" Casey led Kenneth and Ethan down the dark corridor. "Ugh! I have no idea where the cells are! They all look the same!"

"Look, Case. I have an idea." Kenneth stops, and point to another direction. "We will split up, and find the control panel. From there, we can just see which cells contain our friends."

"Guys, there may be tons of soldiers below. I mean how many did we already defeat?" Ethan looks around him. "I think it's safe to assume that they are keeping the Rangers in the lowest levels possible, right?"

"It's logical. But we really have no idea how this prison operates. Plus, some of these cells are pitch black inside, making it impossible to tell who's inside. WOAH!" Kenneth nearly falls from the shock that was felt through the prison. "Holy Hell, what's going on up there?"

Outside…

About 97 soldiers had been incapacitated by Jason's whips. However, several Battleships were approaching Piedra del Diablo. Jason summons his Kraken Zord to deal with them. The mighty Kraken of Lemuria, a powerful beast unlike any seen before. Humanoid in appearance, it has four tentacles that grow from its back. From this mechanical tentacles, it can shoot a laser beam strong enough to destroy a cruiser. However, Jason instructed the Kraken only to sink the ships, not destroy them.

High in the sky…

"This is Sergeant Miko Grady! Activating Z System!" Three jets began to fly closer together then suddenly combined to make a flying tank. "Z Sytem Activated! Firing Ring Cannon!"

The Ring Cannon charged, aiming at the Stingray Zord. As the ion cannon charged, the three pilots inside the united flying tank fail to notice the Manta Zord rise behind them.

"Sergeant! Bogey at 6 o clock!" Private Thomas attempts to deactivate the Z System, allowing the three jets to separate and escape. "Damn! The Ring Cannon is still charging! Abort, abort!"

The Black Manta Zord fires a laser ring, destroying the flying tank's wings. As the combined tank plummets to the sea, Wind breathes a sigh of relief as she sees their parachutes open.

"Remember Blaise. Jason said no killing." Wind gives her boyfriend a thumbs up, as he flies the Stingray above her…

Back inside the prison…

"Ok, we really need to cover more ground. Let's split up." Casey gives the order, knowing fully well he was taking a big risk. Ethan takes the South Corridor, Kenneth the West, Casey the North.

A few feet below, Mack falls to the ground because of another shock.

"Shit. What the hell's going on up there?" Another Shock sets him off balance. "But I can't return now. I need to get the Rangers out of here."

Another shock. Mack holds onto a railing. He hears footsteps. Ethan runs down the stairs.

"Ethan? Why are you here?"

"Mack? I.." Ethan assumes a Martial Arts stance. "I'm here to free the Rangers."

"So am I." Mack smiles. "And I know where to open up the cells. Want to work together?"

"Like we did during the Rise of Mesogog?" Ethan eases his stance, but remains morphed. "We both made mistakes. I don't know about you, but I'm trying to fix what I did wrong."

"That makes two of us." Mack morphs as well. "This way!"

A few feet above…

"What the? The Rangers' Morphers!" Kenneth picks up the two suitcases containing the Morphers. "Can't leave without there!"

Back downstairs…

"This is it, the Control Panel. What was the password again?" Mack mentally kicks himself for having forgotten such an important thing.

"The password is 3117." Mack and Ethan turn around to see General Wade Miles standing at the door. "Hurry up and put in the code, boy. Your friends need you."

"Thank you General." Mack punches in the code.

"Why is the General helping us? I thought you were all for Registry!" Ethan summons his Shield.

"For Registry, yes. For torture never." General Miles smiles slyly. He's hiding something…

Above…

The doors to the jail cells open. Kenneth looks inside, and is stunned to see the Power Rangers walk out.

"Guys! Pick up your, we're busting you out!" Kenneth enthusiastically hands each Ranger his or her Morpher. Each Ranger, however, has this look in their eyes. Some of them start Morphing. Madison remains the only one not to Morph.

"Hey…guys? Where are you going?" Kenneth is perplexed. He hears approaching footsteps…

Chip and Nick kept walking, fully morphed. A soldier stumbles into the room.

"Huh? What the…" He readies his gun. Chip looks at him…

"Watch out!" Mack saves Wade Miles from a falling Power Cable. However, the cable itself unleashes several million giga watts into Mack's suit. Mack, after suffering such a high voltage shock, finds himself demorphed, and slightly singed.

"You ok?" Ethan rushes to his side.

"My Morpher's fried. But otherwise, I'm fine." Mack picks himself up.

"You saved my life, son." Wade Miles gives Mack a rare smile. "Come on, let's get out of here before this whole mess gets ugly."

Wade, Mack and Ethan rush up the stairs occasionally feeling the tremors from the ongoing battle on the surface. Eventually, they stumble onto a horrifying scene.

"Oh my God…all these soldiers…" Ethan nearly vomits within his helmet. The sight of dozens of dead soldiers revives the memory of those he killed.

"Who…" Mack walks towards a dead soldier. Wade looks at Ethan. Suddenly, Wade sees movement. Chip, fully morphed, enters the room.

"TRAITOR!" Chip takes his Magi Staff and fires a bolt of lightning. The bolt hits Mack right in the face.

As millions of electric volts completely incinerate Mack's living tissue, his last nanoseconds of life are spent thinking of Rose. As the killer electricity completely destroys every neuron in his brain, Mack collapses unto the floor, already dead.

"Oh my God!" As Ethan watches Mack collapse into the ground, his body completely paralyzes. He fails to see Wade Miles draw his laser gun.

"Stand where you are! You are under arrest!" Wade aims at Chip, who in turn prepares another blast with his Magi Staff.

"BASTARD!" As chip prepares another blast, he fails to see Casey run towards him.. Casey slashes Chip with his Jungle Claw, completely incapacitating him. As Chip dimorphs, Casey grabs him, and carries him on his shoulders.

"Ethan, come on!" Casey's yells fall on deaf ears. Ethan is completely paralyzed from fear and shock. Ethan begins assuming a fetal position, as Wade Miles begins shooting Casey.

"Shit… I'm sorry, Ethan…" Casey runs towards the exit, knowing he can't risk Chip's safety.

"No…boy…why?" General Miles removes his hat solemnly, paying his respects not only to Mack, but to every soldier killed that day.

"I'm sorry…" Ethan collapses on the floor, as Wade Miles tries to console him. He' seen this type of thing thousands of times. It never gets easier.

Jason commands all the Rangers to board the Manta Zord. "Where the hell is Ethan?" Casey attempts to explain to him what had happened. "Shit… I'm sorry Ethan but… fuck! We have to get out of here NOW! Echo, teleport us away!"

Thousands upon thousands of helicopters arrived on the scene. Most were rescue choppers sent there to help out the many who had been incapacitated. Most of those soldiers were surpised to see the only casualties occurred within the prison itself…


	21. Chapter 21

Power Rangers: Public Enemies

Chapter 20: The best is yet to come

Taylor and Chad helped raise Mack's charred body unto the casket. Taylor fought back her tears, whilst Chad stayed somber. General Miles kept his hand on Ethan's shoulder, who looked like he was about to have a nervous breakdown. As Ethan's tears streamed freely down his face, several soldiers kept carrying out the bodies of their fallen comrades in stretchers. Helicopters kept coming in, and leaving, carrying the dead to their homeland. Taylor stops for only a second. A single tear runs down her face, as she observes the somber sunset over the Caribbean Sea. Chad pats her on her back, signifying that they had to keep going. She dries her tear, lest anyone sees it.

"Lieutenant, it's ok to shed tears on this moment." General Miles tells her during the Helicopter ride. He eyes Ethan, who has buried his face with his hands. General Miles sympathizes with the boy.

"PTSD" General Miles breaks the silence. "Ethan, you have PTSD. A very mild version, to be sure. But it is still PTSD."

"What's PTSD?" Ethan asks.

"Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. It's common amongst soldiers. But anyone who's ever been in a very traumatic experience gets it. Some people that have it have been known to become uncontrollable." Taylor explains.

"You think… the Mystic Force Rangers also developed PTSD?" Ethan inquires. "You think…maybe that's why Chip…?"

"No…" Taylor's tears are coming back. "I don't know. Does it make sense? Some guy got PTSD, and for that he killed someone who tried to help him out? Will that ever make sense to you?"

The helicopter flies over the orange waves, leaving behind the hellhole that is Piedra del Diablo…

Ina small town in Tennessee…

A little girl draws a picture of her father. She must be around 5, maybe 6 years old. She draws a stick figure first, using a yellow crayon. Then, she uses her green crayon to draw a shirt over the stick figure. The stick figure is meant to be her father. She gets up, and goes to the kitchen to grab a snack.

"Hi Emily, did you want a snack?" Her mother kneels down, and pats her pretty blonde hair.

"Coo- coo…" Emily has a stuttering problem. "I w-w-want c-coo-cook-kies."

"Ok, sweetie." Emily's mother reaches for the cookie jar, picks up a cookie, and gives it to her daughter. "Wow, wait till daddy sees how much you've improved huh?"

Emily's mother smiles at her daughter. She's been working really hard to improve her stutter. Emily glances over at a photo of her father, who is currently serving in the military…

Andrew Hartford was crying inconsolably over the death of his son. As he sees that father cry over his son's death, Wade Miles takes a second to think of his own child. How would he react to similar news?

Rose Ortiz stayed in a corner, staring quietly at the ring on her finger. She remembers the last time Mack died. It was about two years ago, when the Insidious Six first surfaced…

"_Oh my God…no…" Rose falls down on her knees as she observes Mack's soulless body on the ground._

"_The same thing's happened before…to Nick and Cameron…" Tori observes the body of the red Overdrive Ranger. "Oh my God…"_

"_Six of them… they called themselves The Insidious Six." Cassidy and Devin explained what had happened to the rest of the Rangers._

"_Is there any way? Any way at all we can fix this? I mean…Mack's not dead, is he?" Rose's tears fall upon Mack's cold, still body._

"Rose?" Andrew Hartford snaps her out of her trance. "I am so sorry…"

Rose does not answer. She just goes back to staring at her ring.

"Rose…tell me there's a way to bring him back." Andrew sits next to her. "Tell me there's a way…some artifact from the past, some wish granting being, some magic spell… ANYTHING."

Rose does not answer, continuing to stare at her engagement ring. She starts thinking of the day she got the ring…

_Mack and Rose are just two of the many, many Rangers staring at the burning ruins of Angel Grove. Mack glanced at the older Rangers; The Mighty Morphing, Zeo and Turbo Ranger teams. He couldn't help but feel a large pang of guilt for having failed to have saved the city. He hugs Rose._

"_We failed…" Rose whispers unto his chest. They hug._

"_We tried so hard. But please, love. Don't say we failed. If we didn't stop Baal here, he would have destroyed the World." Mack himself finds it hard to feel any comfort from those words._

"_Look at it, Mack. Angel Grove…" Rose buries her head in his chest. Casey walks up to them._

"_You two ok?" He pats Rose on the shoulder. "You guys hurt?"_

"_No." Mack smiles half heartedly. "Thank God. We are ok."_

_Suddenly, Mack sees the bright side of everything._

"_We are ok. Rose…we are ok." Mack suddenly smiles, and hugs Rose. "We are ok! Guys…we are still ok!"_

"_What the hell are you talking about?" Casey looks at him like he's gone crazy. Actually, everyone is._

"_Guys, look! Baal…he destroyed most our Zords, completely leveled Angel Grove…but WE are still standing! We survived our greatest ordeal ever! We all stood strong, and defeated the greatest evil the Rangers have ever faced! And we won! We saved the world!" Mack excitedly walks towards every Ranger._

"_Are you saying the worst is over?" Jason looks at him skeptically._

"_No…I know the worst might not be over." Mack's smile fades slightly, then returns. "But…guys. The best, it's yet to come."_

"_Mack…you sure are optimistic." Rose half smiles._

"_Why not? It's a whole new year, guys. Happy 2010." Mack hugs Rose. And then he starts hugging every Ranger. A few Rangers, who were starting to catch his optimism, hug him back. "The best is yet to come, guys! Just you wait, 2010 will be a fantastic year! Especially for me…"_

_Mack walks over to Rose. He kneels down, and brings out a small box. "I meant to do this earlier, honey. But…hey, what better time, eh? Let's get married, what do you say?"_

Rose's tears fall onto her sweater. Dax walks up to her. He, too, is crying. Rose gets up, the first time she's moved in over five hours.

"Rose?" Dax is perplexed at her behavior. "Where are you going?"

Rose walks towards the box where she kept her Morpher. She takes it out. Suddenly, she starts squeezing it. She starts bearing her teeth, as her tears become bitter.

"Rose…" Dax is very scared now. "What are you thinking?"

"Mystic…Force…" The venom in her voice is evident.

"Now…hold on, Rose…wait, Rose… no! Rose, come back!" Andrew Hartford sees Dax trying to stop Rose from leaving. He walks over to the old Blue Ranger, and punches him in the gut, effectively allowing Rose to continue.

"What was that for?" Dax is on the ground writhing in pain. "Do you have any idea what she might do?"

"Yes, I know exactly what she's going to do." Andrew's face is contorted with fury. "And did it ever occur to you that that is precisely something I'd want, too?"

Dax's eyes widen at the idea. Suddenly, a very dark feeling in his stomach…

Meanwhile…

Emily wakes up. She groggily walks towards the living room, hearing a very faint sound. As she walks down the hallway, she hears her mother very clearly. She is crying. Emily gets scared now. She starts to walk slowly towards the living room, and takes a little peek. Her mother is sitting down, in the arms of some woman she's seen once or twice, sobbing into a folded up American Flag.

"No! NOOOOO!" Emily's mother cries desperately. She falls unto the floor, and collapses. The soldier that had brought the flag tries to pick up Emily's mother, attempting to comfort her. Emily can see some tears falling down the soldier's cheek. Emily, however, in a moment of innocence, walks towards her mother…

The next day, Emily is sitting alone in the living room, wearing her best dress. She looks at the picture she drew the day before. There's her father, in his Army uniform, smiling proudly, the best drawing she ever made. It might be a bit crude, but it is a sweet drawing. Suddenly, she puts it down. She gets up, and walks towards her mother. Her mother, who's dressed completely in black, takes Emily to see her father, one last time. Thanks to the Power Rangers, he won't be coming back home, ever again…

Over in Zamunda, a republic in Africa…

The small village of Dakra is now in ruins. This village, which was mostly a Banbul village, has been destroyed by rebel Huti forces. The Banbul and Huti have been in an ethnic war for all of 2010 and 2011. A small group of the Huti forces arrive to pay the people that have helped them in their time of need.

"Thank you so much, strangers. We know now why we pay you top dollar." The Huti leader hands over the cash to a Red Ranger. Flanked by a few mercenaries, as well as a Blue and Yellow Ranger, the Red Ranger gladly accepts the money. On the chest of the Rangers there is a logo. It belongs to Laughing Raven, a Paramilitary Company (PMC) based in America…


	22. Chapter 22

Power Rangers: Public Enemies

Chapter 21: Judas and Prometheus

**(Author's request: Please do not feel offended by any expressions or ideas presented in this chapter)**

Several mosquitoes buzzed around the marshlands. A solitary sniper lays down, disguised by the thicket, awaiting the arrival of the Government's soldiers. The sniper had enough supplies to last her seven days. It was day twelve, and she last saw her companions about a week ago. A mosquito bites her neck, and begins to suck her blood. She smacks the mosquito, killing it. The sudden movement moves the thicket slightly, whilst the slap made a rather small sound.

A bullet flies through the marshland air. It pierces through the sniper's skull, completely passing through to the other side. As the blood from the young sniper pours onto the stagnant water, footsteps can be heard as the person that made the killing shot approaches the body.

A Blue Ranger picks up the body of the eleven year old sniper. He checks around her clothes, looking for a radio, a map, anything. He finds a radio, turns it on, and attempts to communicate with it.

"Alejandra, diga lo que ocurre." A voice answers the call. Using the advanced tracking technology inside his helmet, the Blue Ranger determines the location of the Rebel base. He signals towards his comrades to come pick him up…

Meanwhile, up in space…

Billy met up with General Miles on a small café in San Angeles. In order to be incognito, Billy hid his face behind a newspaper, whilst General Miles hid behind a magazine.

"Well, mister Cranston, things have just plain gotten worse." Wade Miles takes a sip from his drink. "Take a look at this."

Billy takes the folder. He looks inside, and sees many photographs. They are photos of many Ranger teams, each one belonging to some PMC.

"They are called Private Power Rangers (P2R). They utilize a basic access to the Morphing Grid to power their suits. They are equipped with the finest weapons money can buy. We're talking Stockholm Blasters, Philadelphia Personal Cannons, the works. There are currently five P2R teams in action." Wade Miles takes a sip from his drink, never removing his face from the magazine.

"Tell me their names." Billy puts away the photos.

"Laughing Raven's team of P2R was the first to be discovered. They saw a lot of action last week in Africa. Then there's Springfield Star Standard's team of P2R. They made their debut about three days ago in China, helping to quell yet another protest in Tibet. Also, there's Brown Bjorn's team, which helped keep the 'peace' in Croatia the other day. And let's not forget Red Tricolor's team, and how they recently stopped a Chechnyan uprising the other day. And finally, there's Trifecta's team, which is seeing some action in Peru as we speak."

"Three of those PMC's are American companies." Billy does not remove his face from his newspaper. "So, what's the deal?"

"Those Rangers they hired, they are not American citizens. So, the Ranger Act does not apply to them. Also, because they are technically 'International' companies, the Ranger Act would not apply to them unless they ever operated within America, and only if their countries of Origin ever gave the ok."

Billy fixes his glasses. "So, what would happen if America ever decided to hire one of these Rangers?"

"Then the companies would have the Ranger Act either frozen for them, or repealed altogether. Congress would not allow that, even though Sears is salivating over the idea of having that law repealed." Wade Miles takes a sip from his drink. "There is literally nothing the White House can do now."

"Wasn't Sears getting impeached?" Billy drinks his Mystic Water.

"Yeah, but since that whole Piedra del Diablo fiasco, the American public is in a bit of a panic. It's been decided to keep Sears and Irons in office. But to keep him from messing anything up, his Executive powers have been frozen. Not that the American public would know, as far as anyone is concerned, America still has an active president." Wade Miles fixes his sunglasses.

"How ridiculous. The most powerful office in the world is now nothing more than a figurehead." Billy chuckles. "So who's really in chare of America now?"

"Congress." Miles stifles a chuckle.

"Well then, I better hurry up with those crystals, huh?" Billy gets up.

"Yes…please." Wade Miles watches as Billy leaves. He then gets up, and leaves. As he leaves, he sees an American flag fly atop a flag pole. A tear forms in his eye, knowing how far his country has fallen…

Over in the Magic Nexus…

"She hasn't spoken a word since she got here." Clare looks at Madison worriedly.

"Madie! Please, say something!" Vida cried, seeing her sister in such a catatonic state. Madison didn't say a word, simply staring into space with that blank look on her face. Her eyes seemed dead, like her life had been sucked out. Vida hugged her, crying her eyes out.

Chip lay in a corner. His hands had been tied together to a tree, for his own good. Ever since he returned from the Piedra, he had been scrubbing his hands furiously. Three days ago, he scrubbed them so hard, he began to bleed.

Like Madison, Nick had gone mute, and he constantly shook. Xander had become far more paranoid, always looking around him, as if expecting something to come out and grab him. Always checking every nook and cranny, as if expecting to find something.

"Echo, are you there?" Jason communicates telepathically.

"I am in the Sea of Poseidon, Jason." Echo dutifully responds. "Since the Green Energy of Mu has been sacrificed to restore the power of the Magic Nexus, the Guardians of Mu have been reawakening."

"What does that mean for us?" Jason looks to his team, the Mu Rangers.

"Nothing. All it means is that, little by little, most of the Dimensional Walls shall be restored. Your sacrifice has greatly sped up the process."

"How long do you think it will take?" Jason asked telepathically. As far as the other Rangers who had also taken shelter in the magic nexus could tell, Jason was merely thinking.

"No less than a century." Echo responds, but suddenly begins to ponder something troubling. "But…if anyone, or anything ever summons Baal again, the walls will be permanently destroyed."

"Do you really think anything can ever summon that thing again?"

"Yes." Echo closes his eyes. "The Six Crystals of Gaia."

Over in the ruins of Angel Grove…

"Thank you for coming, Kat." Billy throws away his cigarette butt. He picks up another cigarette, and lights it. "Want one?"

"I'm a dancer. We don't smoke." Kat Hillard looks at Billy sternly. "Billy, are you serious about this?"

"Yes, Kat. I am."

"Why?" Kat grabs Billy's cigarette, and throws it away. "And cut this shit out. It will kill you."

"Well Kat, I've been told some very bad news." Billy considers taking out another cigarette. "You know about these Private Rangers?"

"I heard about this Russian team of Rangers that saved some school kids from some Chechnyan terrorists."

"Ah, and did you hear about the Power Rangers that participated in that ethnic war in Africa the other week?" Billy chuckles at Kat's shocked expression.

"Power Rangers don't do that!"

"Yes, we do now." Billy chuckles. "It's a new era, Kat. One brought by Andrew Hartford and his Operation Overdrive."

"No! That team helped save the world from evil!"

"I know. But it laid the groundwork for the future of Power Rangers." Billy puts his lighter away, and drinks his Mystic Water. "Private Power Rangers. Funded by private corporations, rather than public money. For profit. The triumph of capitalism: the privatization of the war between Good and Evil."

"But…" Kat sits down on the ground. She is shocked.

"Kat, do you believe in God?"

"Yes." Kat answers without hesitation.

"And what do you think about Judas?"

"He's a traitor, remember? He sold out Jesus Christ, our Savior."

Billy chuckles again. "Suppose he hadn't done that. How would Jesus have died for our sins?"

"Well…he would have given himself up to the Romans."

"And why didn't he do that earlier? Why wait until Judas sells him out?"

Kat could not answer. "What are you getting at?"

"Kat, I don't believe in God. I believe that we make our own miracles. I believe the Universe exists of its own free will." Billy takes out a cigarette. "But even still I find some pleasure in reading the Bible."

"So…"

"I always found the story of Jesus worthy of my analysis. And one conclusion I came to, is that Judas, not Jesus, is the man who sacrificed himself for our sins. Judas, not Jesus, is the one who saved the world." Billy lights the cigarette.

"That's blasphemy!"

"No, it isn't. Jesus, he resurrected. How can you call something a sacrifice, if it comes undone, just like that? Jesus died, yes. But he came back to life. And this time, he returned immortal, and all powerful."

Kat is agape at what she is hearing.

Billy blows some smoke away. "But Judas, he killed himself, out of guilt. The man Jesus trusted most played the most crucial part in ensuring Humanity would be saved from sin. His reward? His name lives forever in infamy, his every action cursed by those who most likely never read more than three pages of the book they claim is the pillar of their faith."

"What are you trying to tell me?"

"Jesus is all knowing. His judgment should be beyond reproach for all of the Christian faith, yes? Well, he decided Judas was worthy of being his disciple. Why would he do that, if Jesus could have known he was going to betray him?"

Kat does not know what to say.

"When I think of Judas, I think of Prometheus. You know his story, right?"

Kat shakes her head.

"Prometheus was a Titan, son of Iapetus. He saw that humanity was cold, because they didn't have fire. He saw the gods had fire, and they were always warm. So, Prometheus stole some of the fire, and brought it to the human world. For this, Zeus punished him, and chained him to Mount Olympus, ordering a crow to peck at him for all eternity."

"What does Prometheus have to do with Judas?"

Billy throws away the cigarette butt. "Judas, his role was decided for him once he became Jesus' disciple. Jesus knew Judas would betray him. No, Jesus knew Judas would sell him out to the Romans. Why, then, would he allow him to become his disciple? Jesus used Judas, simple as that. Judas played his role. Thanks to him, the Messiah's blood was spilled. And an undeserving humanity was saved from sin. Just like Prometheus. Thanks to Prometheus, an undeserving humanity has fire. And the two of them, for all eternity, shall suffer, while we reap the rewards of their deaths without so much as a second thought, worshiping gods that do nothing."

Kat remains speechless. Billy smiles.

"The greatest heroes are the ones who die in obscurity. Those who gladly choose death, and eternal torment for the greater good." Billy begins to laugh. "Not that I personally believe in God, or any gods. I believe we hold the reins to our future."

Billy smiles at a trembling Kat. He walks over to her, and puts a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Now do you see why I am collecting the Crystals of Gaia?"


	23. Chapter 23

Public Enemies

Chapter 22: Seeds of a Civil War

"Do you know how hard it was to find you?" Rose pointed her laser gun at Madison's forehead. "Do you have ANY fucking idea how hard I looked for you!"

Madison was on her knees, shaking at the sight of the gun's barrel, pointed directly at the space between her eyes. She couldn't utter a peep. She couldn't scream for help. But the good Lord knows, if she could, she would.

"You took him away from me." Rose's tears streamed down her face, as the fury that consumed manifested itself in her facial expressions. "The only man I ever loved…to ever make me feel special…my reason for living…you FUCKING TOOK HIM FROM ME!"

Meanwhile…

"Where is she!" Nick furiously shook Clare, who was trembling in fear. In his fury, he slaps her. "Tell me where she went!"

"You hit me…" Clare whimpers. Tears stream down her face, as she places a hand to her cheek.

"You must have teleported her somewhere!" Nick slaps her again. And again. And one more time. "Tell me where she is!"

"I'm sorry." Clare trembles, trying to calm Nick down. She looks around, and sees that neither Chip nor Vida are willing to calm Nick down. Or to stop him from hitting her.

"What the hell?" Casey walked in on that exact moment. Seeing Clare's red cheek, and Nick just grappling her like that, he came into a rage. He dashes towards Nick, punches him hard in the jaw, and knocks him away. He looks over to Clare, and helps pick her up. "The fuck's wrong with you all!"

"Look, dude! Madison's really fragile right now!" Chip steps in. "And what does Clare do? She 'accidently' teleports her away! Madison needs to be HERE, kept safe and secure!"

"It really was an accident…" Clare whimpers. "I didn't mean for it to happen."

"You asshole. You were there too!" Nick gets up. "You HEARD her screams! You HEARD her cries for help! What the fuck's wrong with YOU! Did you forget just how BROKEN she is!"

"That's no reason to beat Clare up!" Casey gets into a fighting pose. He knows he is surrounded, but he doesn't care.

"ENOUGH!" Jason roars as he enters the room. After he is informed of the situation (and decks Nick), he calmly thinks of a plan. "Clare, help us locate Madison."

Back at Reefside Woods…

"Mack was my world, my love and soul." Rose is in tears now. "He was a man like no other. Always a smile on his face. Always hungry for life. Always ready for the next big adventure."

Madison wanted to cry. She wanted to express sympathy to Rose. She wanted to tell her all about how sorry she is that Chip had killed Mack. She wanted to tell her about how horrified she is at all the events that had transpired.

"He wanted to help you." Rose's face contorts with fury. "He only complied with the government to help his team. You think he WANTED to sell you out? No. He only wanted to help us out! He couldn't stand it, seeing his friends suffer needlessly because of that fucking Ranger Act…because of those FUCKING INGRATES! The common man…ungrateful hoarder of slime that he is!"

Madison trembles, her eyes fixated on the barrel of the gun.

"Mack knew what he was doing wasn't right. But he did it anyway. He joined up with the government, sold you all out. None of you went to jail because of that, remember? No, no one went to jail because of him. That part, you guys getting arrested, you did that to yourselves."

Suddenly, Madison thinks about all that had happened to her. She was forcibly taken from her home by men with guns. She was stripped naked, and searched. She was thrown into a dark cell, never to see the sunlight. She ate from the floor. She was brutally beaten on a day by day basis. Worst of all, she had been raped. All for the 'crime' of being in a Ranger team which had ONE member still on the lam from the law. How did she do THAT to herself?

Meanwhile, in Hartford Manor…

"It's been a week since she's been missing, and not ONCE did it ever occur to you to look for her!" Taylor grabs Andrew by the collar. "So…what is she doing, eh? With her MORPHER? Did you forget, the people are in a panic!"

"I don't care anymore. I lost my son… because of them…" Andrew does not make eye contact. Taylor slaps him.

"You sick, twisted FUCK! Don't you care about anything! We HAVE to find her!" Taylor takes out her Growl Phone. "She's in no condition to be out on her own, wielding what is currently classified as a WEAPON OF DESTRUCTION. The Government has spoken, her Morpher privileges have been suspended, and she is now to be taken into custody until she is considered No Threat."

"We should all search for her." Danny speaks up. "I'm sure we will find her soon."

"Look, we can use our Trackers!" Ronny takes out her Tracker. "Guys… Rose is just…upset. I mean…she lost Mack… She's no threat, ok?"

"That is not what worries me." Taylor clears her throat. "Right now, the Mystic Force are considered a threat to US security. The danger meter right now is in RED. And it will continue to be Red until the Mystic Force, Jungle Fury, and Mu Rangers are in custody, or…eliminated. Any provocation could cause an attack."

Back at Reefside Forrest…

"The Mystic Force killed him. YOU killed him! You, and that sister of yours, and that idiot boyfriend, and those two assholes! You five killed him!" Rose's hand trembles, but her finger is still on the trigger. "He was going to help you. He was going to get you out of there. He was going to set you free! And you killed him! Had I known… I would have told him to let you rot in there. That you DESERVED to be jailed!"

All fear vanishes for Madison. She thinks back to all the brutality, all the pain she had to suffer through. 'All that shit I went through… don't I deserve to be angry too?' She thinks to herself. 'My dignity was stolen from me. I ate from the floor while SHE ate from a plate! While SHE slept in a bed, I slept with my hands handcuffed! I WAS RAPED!'

"Shut the fuck up, you bitch." Madison's eyes reflect her unstoppable rage, her indomitable spirit, her iron will. "You don't know a god dammed thing."

At that precise moment, Nick, Vida, Xander and Chip arrive.

Zap.

A smoldering gun lets out a bit of smoke. A lifeless body limply falls to the floor. A terrified young woman holds the instrument of murder. Her eyes reflect the deep regret that she felt. Four witnesses stand in disbelief. The wind blows softly, as if to mourn the last minute of peace amongst the Power Rangers.

"YOU FUCKING BITCH!" Nick lets out all his fury. "DIE!"

Nick takes out his Magic Staff, and unleashes a tremendous fireball that consumes Rose. As her body burns to a crisp, her last moment of life is spent remembering the best moment of her life…

"_Rose, what do ya say? Want to get married?"_

Danny arrived too late. He came just in time to see Nick unleash his deadly spell on Rose. He watches as Rose's charred remains fall to the ground. He stands horrified, trembling at the sight of three Rangers staring at him dangerously.

Nick, Chip and Vida would have killed him, right then and there if Xander hadn't stopped them. He used his Magic Staff to summon roots from the earth, to hold their hands down. Tearfully, he takes out his Cell Morpher, and calls Clare. His voice is broken and trembling, as Xander tries his best to keep a cool head. "Clare…get us home, please. We found her…"

Danny stands there, unable to so much as move an inch. He looks at Rose's charred remains. He slowly draws out enough courage in himself to grab his Growl Phone and call his team. "Guys…we have a problem…"


	24. Chapter 24

Power Rangers: Public Enemies

Chapter 23: Civil War, part 1. (Event Horizon)

"They killed her." Vida cries over her sister's body. Madison Rocca, age 23, killed by Rose Ortiz. "They killed her!"

"Those damn sellouts." Chip is inconsolable. "It's not enough that they threw us in jail. They want us dead now!"

"This is…" Nick takes a pot and smashes it on the ground. He lets out a primal scream, smashing anything he can get his hands on.

"This is because of them…" Chip begins to tremble in anger. "This is because of those fucking sellouts."

"I have had enough…" Vida gets up. "They took away my sister… the fucking Government took away my only sister. MY ONLY SISTER!"

"They threw us away…" Nick punches the wall. "They locked us up for nothing. FOR FUCKING NOTHING!"

"Guys…please." Xander grabs Nick's arm, keeping from punching some more. "Enough! Maddie wouldn't want us to act like this… we should be mourning her…"

"If it wasn't for the Government… if it wasn't for them…" Chip grows angrier and angrier. "None of this would have happened… it's all the Government's fault… it's all America's fault!"

"Ingrates, that's what they are!" Vida picks up her morpher. "We saved the world! We stopped Octomus! We put our own lives at risk to stop Baal! We all did! And when we needed help the most, America just tosses us aside! Well… I've had enough!"

"They say it's OUR fault the world's gone to hell, when if it wasn't for us, the world wouldn't even be here right now!" Nick throws Xander aside, and picks up his own Morpher. "I say we take back what we gave. I say we show the world they NEED us! No… I say we show the world they should FEAR us! THAT WE HAVE THE POWER!"

"Guys, you're talking crazy! You're talking about using violence against innocents!" Xander attempts to block the exit to Rootcore, but Nick uses a fireball to get him out of the way. As Xander reels in pain, the last three Mystic Force Rangers take their leave. "I can't… let them do this…"

…

In San Angeles…

"The Mystic Force?" Ronnie tries her hardest to keep her composure. "Rose was killed by the Mystic Force?"

"I am sorry to say…" Danny scratches the back of his head, a habit of his. "I saw them with my own eyes."

"This is beyond messed up." Taylor looks at Rose's remains. "This doesn't even qualify as a corpse… they burnt her alive…! This is overkill!"

"Why would they kill her?" Will looks at Rose's charred remains. "I mean, what she ever do to them?"

Dax remains silent. He doesn't know how to tell them, that he knew how Rose felt about the Mystic Force, that he suspected that Rose attempted to exact revenge on them. He figured they caught her, and did her in.

"I don't believe it…" Ronnie finally breaks down, crying. "They killed her, they killed our friend."

Andrew Hartford remained stone faced. He knew who did this, and he knew why.

"Don't worry Rose." He thought to himself. "I will finish what you started…"

In Briarwood…

An explosion! The Briarwood Monorail is out of control, going faster and faster. As the conductor attempts in vain to stop the train, the many passengers scream in fear for their lives. The monorail reaches a curve, crashing past it, falling off…

A giant hand has kept the monorail from completely falling off the railings! As the relieved passengers peer out their windows to view their savior, they are shocked to see the Red Mystic Titan holding the train. Many relieved passengers actually cheer on Nick for having saved them. Nick watches this, holding the monorail in his hands. His hands begin to tremble, as Nick vacillates with his feelings.

A thought passes through his mind. Madison's screams echoing across the Piedra, her frail body being violated, her CORPSE…

In his fury, Nick lifts the Monorail above him, ignoring the panicking passengers within. He tosses the train aside, crashing it into a building, causing an explosion that kills hundreds. As people on the streets flee in terror, Nick crushes many more underfoot. He picks up a car, crushes it in his hands, killing the driver and his child, then tosses the car towards another building. The wrecked car pins a secretary, destroying her spinal cord. Nick then punches another building, causing it to collapse. The falling debris kills a few bystanders who had been running for their lives.

Before any of the local Jet Fighters could launch to counter the Rangers attack, Vida picks up a large gas tank and tosses it at the Air Force Base, causing an explosion. The explosion destroys many jets, rendering the local Air Force unable to counterattack. However, as hundreds of Jets approach from afar, Vida rushes towards them, intent to destroy them all.

Chip crushes many tanks underfoot, kicking some of them away as well. As many soldiers run away in terror, Chip seethes with rage. In his mind, he simply remembers that pain he felt because of those men at Piedra del Diablo. Far beyond any help, any reasoning, Chip's rage echoed within him, becoming his sole driving force. He smashes away many buildings, killing innocent people as well…

"I have gathered you here, today, to talk to you about something very important." Andrew Hartford fights back his tears, but something in his eyes gave the impression that he has lost a significant chunk of his humanity. "We have lost two of our friends… my son…my future daughter in law…"

Ronnie and Dax look down at the ground in sorrow, though still in attention. Will's expression could best be described as stone faced.

"I have received permission…from the Government…" Once he heard Hartford say that, Will's eyes reflected shock. "To deploy my own Rangers…Operation Overdrive… to hunt down the ba…the Rogues that have taken the lives of Rose...and Mack."

"You mean…hunt them down to take them to jail?" Something about the look on Hartford's eyes made Will rather uncomfortable.

"Alive…dead… I have NOT been given any specifications from the Government on how to turn in those…Rogues…" Will could see the murderous intent reflected in Hartford's eyes. This scared him…


	25. Chapter 25

Power Rangers: Public Enemies

Chapter 24: Civil War, part 2- Nameless Heroes.

"Mommy!" A child cries out of the chaos. She keeps running against the masses of people that pay no attention to the fact that a little girl is lost and scared. However, they too are scared, as they flee in terror from the wrath of the remaining Mystic Force Rangers, who kept destroying everything in their paths.

"Mommy!" The child keeps crying out, having long since been separated from her patent. She looks up at the sky, and sees the Pink Mystic Titan flying in the sky. She sees how Vida grabs a helicopter by the tail, and throws it against a building. The girl screams as falling debris hits several citizens. She cowers in fear, not realizing that the out of control crowd is about to trample her to death.

"Kid, watch out!" A skinny, scraggly teenager grabs the girl before she is trampled by the stampeding crowds. He rushes her away, carrying her in his arms. "Kid, what the hell?"

"I can't find my mommy!" The little girl is inconsolable.

"Where did you last see her?"

"At the plaza..." She sniffles. "I saw some toys, and I let go... and then the giants attacked (hiccup)and I got scared (sniff) and now I can't find my mommy!"

"The plaza?" The teenager thinks for a second. "I... Your mom must have been found by one of those nice soldiers! Come on, let's go to where they are grabbing people, OK?"

The teenager and the child rush towards an area where many soldiers are gathering people. They watch as a helicopter slowly descends in front of a desperate crowd.

"Priority to children!" A Soldier calls out via megaphone from within the helicopter. "We don't have much room!"

"Please, save my baby!" A woman lifts up her child, barely three months old. "My brother lives in New York, please send her to him!"

"Come on, kid. We need to get you to that chopper." The teenager takes the young girl with him, running towards the helicopter.

"We're full!" The soldier yells out before the teenager and the girl could get to it. "Lift us up, Chuck!"

The helicopter attempted to lift of, but various desperate souls clung unto its landing skids.

"We're too heavy!" Chuck attempted as best he could to keep the helicopter in balance. "Hang on tight, kids!"

The teenager watched in horror as the helicopter kept losing balance. Not one of the hanger-ons let go of the skids, in spite of the soldier's pleading.

"Shit, Barry, do something!" Chuck uses all his might to keep the chopper steady. "We won't be able to lift off with all this weight!"

"Kids... close your eyes..." Barry sorrowfully takes out a pistol, and begins shooting some of the hanger-ons. One by one, they fall to the ground. Barry only had to shoot two, the rest let go either of their own free will, or because they could simply hold on no longer. None of them survived. The teenager covered the girl's eyes to protect her from such a ghastly scene.

"Shoot... come on, kid, we'll just..." The teenager could not finish that sentence, as a car had been thrown at the helicopter, courtesy of Vida. A mother's cry is drowned out by the screams of dozens of people as they scramble to escape the falling debris. As the helicopter crashes onto the ground, it explodes, killing a few people, including a young mother...

"Shoot..." The teenager watches a giant cloud of dust. "Can't go that way..."

"The plaza's that way!" The child begins to hyperventilate.

"Come on, kid... I heard a nice soldier say that no one in the plaza got hurt!"

"Honest?" The little girl looks up at the teenager, tears in her eyes.

"Over here!" They hear a soldier cry out. "Over here!"

The two rush towards the subway, where the soldier was calling to them.

"In here, quickly! It's safe down here!" The soldier escorts them down the subway station.

The subway station was filled with many wounded people. Some were mortally so, even. The teenager kept the girl close to him, for her safety.

"Ronald Reagan closed down my mental hospital!" A scraggly, filthy old man yelled at the top of his lungs. He had many bald patches on his head, the result of years of scalp abuse.

"Sir, please! Calm down!" A female soldier found herself overwhelmed by the responsibility of calming down the old man.

"Hey Chappy! Want a Snickers?" The teenager takes out a fun size Snickers bar from his pocket, and gives it to the old man. "Excuse me miss, old Chappy here can only be calmed down by a candy bar."

"Ronald Reagan closed down my mental hospital..." Chappy, on his knees with tears in his eyes, looks up at the young, female soldier. "I like candy..."

"Why does he keep saying that?" the female soldier asks the teenage boy.

"Dad told me Chappy used to live at a mental hospital that closed down back in the 80's. Chappy screams his blame for Reagan whenever he's too scared to understand what's going on."

"I want my mommy..." The little girl tugged at the teenager's pants.

"I know kid...what's her name?"

"Susan... Susan Storms..." The girl looks up at the teenager, a bit calmer than before.

"Hey, anyone here by that name?" The teenager's face falls when the soldier shakes her head. He picks up the little girl, and carries her on his shoulders.

"What's your name, mister?" The little girl asks.

"I'm Troy, you?"

"I'm Amy." Troy shakes her little hand, offering her a smile.

"Hey, kid!" A soldier calls out to Troy. "Leave the girl over there and come help us! We need extra hands!"

"On my way, sir!" Troy takes Amy to the direction the soldier pointed out. It was a corner with lots of kids surrounding a twenty something woman.

"Excuse me..." Troy shows her Amy.

"Hello young man, yes, give her to me." The woman smiles at Amy. "Hi sweetie, how old are you?"

"I'm six..." Amy refuses to leave Troy's side.

"Amy? I have to go, they need me." Troy kneels down in front of Amy. "So be a good girl, OK? Your mom is OK, I promise."

"No, I want my mommy..." Amy, teary eyed, refuses to let go of Troy. "You promised..."

"Sweetie, don't worry. Your mommy's OK. I know." The woman gave her a reassuring smile.

"Hey miss, take care of her, OK?" Troy quickly got away from Amy, trying his best to keep his composure.

"Such a strong kid..." The woman's smile disappears for an instant. "He's stronger than me..."

"Miss? What's your name?" Amy notices her sad face,

"Oh, I'm Amanda." The woman's smile returns.

Troy hurried towards the soldier who called him.

"Take these supplies, and distribute them amongst the wounded." The soldier commands. "And wipe that frightened look off your face."

"I'm sorry sir... I'm just scared." Troy's eyes water a bit.

"You should be, it's a war zone out there." The soldier pats him on the shoulder. "Good work bringing that kid here, son."

"I just saw that she was gonna be trampled." Troy looks at Amy's direction. "She lost her mom."

"Don't worry about her. Amanda's a strong woman." The soldier looks at Amanda's direction. "She volunteered to take care of the kids herself. No one else could, really."

"So many kids... how many are there?"

The soldier counts the kids. "I'd say 29. Maybe 31, tops."

"Damn..."

Troy distributed the pillows and blankets amongst the wounded. There were about 50 of them, at least. Troy himself was quite shocked at how many of them there were.

"Excuse me." Amanda approached the supply corner. "Are there any spare blankets and pillows?"

"Sorry miss, priority is for the wounded, and we are used up." The female soldier from earlier sadly shakes her head.

"Ronald, Reagan he... he closed down my mental hospital..." Chappy approaches the female soldier. "The...homeless we... got some blankets in the back rooms..."

"Get out of here, you bum!" The female soldier yells at him. "Someone give this guy a candy bar and get him the heck out of here!"

"Excuse me, ma'am? Chappy's right." Troy steps in. "There really ARE some blankets in the back room."

"Let me check." A male soldier checks the storage room. "He's right! I think there are, like, forty blankets or something here!"

"We can't use them, they might be filthy!" The female soldier objects.

"Actually, the manager of this station keeps the blankets well washed." Troy interjects again. "They're good. You have my word."

"Down here! It's safe down here!" Another soldier escorts an elderly couple down the subway station.

"Hey, you two just sit over there, and let us take care of everything." The female soldier offers them a weak smile. She, however, is emotionally drained.

"My goodness, Harry! Look at all the children!"The old woman is shocked at the sight of all the children.

"This is almost as bad as WW2..." Harry sits on the floor. "In fact, if Schroeder himself rises from the grave, I'd say it's worse."

"Sh! Harry, speak of the devil, and he shall appear!" The old lady chastises Harry.

"Sorry Martha." Harry hangs his head in shame. Martha grabs him, and walks towards Amanda. Amanda herself looks quite tired.

"Excuse me miss, may we help you in any way?" Martha smiles at Amanda.

"Really?" Amanda smiles, perking up somewhat.

"Certainly, miss!" Harry winks at her. "We got, like, thirteen grandkids!"

"Harry, stop flirting with the young girl, you're making her nervous!" Martha furiously pulls Harry's ears. "How long have you been taking care of these kids, deary?"

"Oh, it's not big deal..." Amanda looks away. "I just have some experience in this kind of thing."

"Are you from around here, dear?" Martha puts a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"I grew up in Angel Grove." Amanda offers a weak smile. Martha and Harry gasp in shock.

"My God..." Martha is speechless. Harry looks at the many wounded.

"Martha, miss... I'm needed." Harry tucks in his shirt, straightens his posture, and marches towards the many wounded.

"Don't worry, deary. Harry used to be a Field Medic back in WW2."

"Know what the worst part of all this is?" Amanda's smile disappears completely. Her face is sullen, and her eyes reflect the soul of a woman falling apart. "Growing up, I felt I could always count on the Power Rangers to save the day. Nowadays..."

Troy kept glancing at Amy's direction, making sure she was OK.

"Hey, she your sister?" The female soldier from earlier smiles at him.

"Just some kid I found."

"Nice." She touches his arm. "How old are you?"

"Fifteen, ma'am. You?" Troy is blushing madly.

"Nineteen." She smiles at him. She is quite beautiful, really. "Name's Jodie. You?"

"Troy." He's blushing like mad.

"You're quite skinny, kid." Her smile makes room for a concerned look. "Where are you from?"

"Here and there..." Troy looks away. "Ran away from home."

"Bad home life?" Jodie hugs him. "It's OK, hun. I understand..."

The ground above the subway station shakes.

"Pack it up, people! Things are getting sticky up there!" A male soldier calls out everyone. "Grab the wounded and get them to somewhere safer!"

"Is anyone coming to get us?" Jodie grabs a man with a broken leg.

"At the end of the tunnel! It leads outside!" The male soldier commands everyone. "Couple of choppers for the wounded, jeeps for the rest of us!"

"Harry!" Martha is very scared.

"You go on ahead, Martha! I have my duty, you have yours!" Harry grabs a wounded man, and carries him on his shoulders.

"Come on, kids! We have to go!" Amanda guides all the children towards the other end of the tunnel. Martha assists her as best she can.

"Mommy! Troy!" Amy is crying.

"Don't worry Amy! You go on ahead!" Troy tries his best to carry one of the wounded.

"I... help too..." Chappy grabs one of the wounded, and follows Troy. He looks at the man he was holding. "You look like Mister Keen. I once was good man, worked for mister Keen. I was smarty man... till I lost my mind... lived in a mental hospital that Reagan closed down..."

"Joe! What's going on upstairs?" Jodie runs alongside the male soldier.

"Like five Megazords showed up! Higher ups say there's gonna be a HUGE brawl coming up! Orders are to evacuate the city, save as many civilians as possible! ALL units are to help with the evacuation"

"We can't beat them, can we?" Jodie despairs.

"The Power Rangers...are invincible. We're at their mercy." Joe tries his best to fight the tears.

Chappy watches the people helping each other out. A thought enters his mind. For the first time in years, the voices in his head are silenced, allowing him to think coherently. "Even in our darkest hour, mankind is never in a shortage of heroes."

Meanwhile...

The Poseidon Megazord was confronting the Rescue Megazord. Bella tried her best to remain composed, keeping her team together.

Beneath the Rescue Megazord's feet lay the bodies of several people that were killed much earlier. One of these is a woman, aged about Thirty or so. Her purse is open, revealing her driver's license. It reads: Susan Storms...


	26. Chapter 26

Power Rangers: Public Enemies

Episode 25: Civil War, part 3- One minute to midnight

"Those bastards!" Billy slams his fist onto the Holo Deck screen. "Fighting each other..."

"How could things have come to this?" Kat Hillard is in tears. "A civil war between Rangers?"

"Come on Kat, I mean..." Tanya is at a loss for words. "At least...uh..."

"At least YOU'RE safe? At least YOU'RE not fighting?" Billy is furious. "This is the sum of our legacy! This is what we fought for!"

"That's not true!" Zack interrupts. "This is NOT what I fought for! What WE fought for! We fought for a better world! For a world without crime, without hate!"

Billy merely looks at Zack. He goes over to the main console and presses a few buttons. The main screen in the Astro Mega Ship Mark 3's bridge began to show various scenes from the riots of 2010. Specifically, they were scenes from the riots the Power Rangers themselves had quelled...using excessive force.

"Tell me Zack, where in these screens do you see someone fighting for a world without crime?" Billy's icy cold tone hides a man whose idealism has long since died. "Where do you see that world you fought for? Is it here, in this video of twelve men trampling a young girl to death in order to grab a can of expired beets? Is it here, in this video of a boy starving to death inside the shanty tent his family was forced to live in? Or is it...here, in this video of Cole Evans and Dax Lo utilizing their blasters to keep people from killing each other? Is that the world you fought for? Because that's what you all got!"

"I..." Zack is speechless.

"Trini gave her life for this world. She died... protecting the world..." Billy's eyes begin to tear up. "This is the world she fought so hard to protect..."

"Billy..." Kat walks towards Billy, to place a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"No... No, this is not what she fought for... this is not what Zordon gave his life for... This is a nightmare..." Billy slaps away Kat's hand. "But it's OK. The time for the world to wake up will come soon."

"What are you talking about?" Ashley is scared now.

"Simple... All I need is the last Crystal..." Billy begins to chuckle.

It was right then and there that Andros teleported himself unto the bridge. "Hey...found it."

Andros hands Billy the Black Crystal of Gaia. Billy smiles, and walks towards a briefcase he has. He opens the case, and places the Crystal amongst the others. "Andros...you have an impeccable sense of timing..."

He walks towards the teleporter. "I have modified the ship. You will all stay here, where you will be safe. Under NO circumstances are you to return to Earth until Dr. Manx gives the OK, clear?"

"What the hell?" Rocky speaks up. "Billy, the fuck's going on?"

"Rocky...it's best none of you know..." Billy looks away, and activates the teleporter. He arrives amongst the ruins of Angel Grove. "Come midnight... The darkness before dawn..."

Meanwhile, in the Atomic University of Chicago...

"President Sears? We are one minute away from midnight..." Dr. Cora looks worriedly at the Clock.

"Damn it..." George Sears slams his fist unto the table. The Doomsday Clock never lies.

"Well...it's been one minute to midnight for the past 13 years." Jeremy Irons intervenes. "What's so new about it now?"

"Take a look at the second hand." Dr. Cora points to the time on the clock.

"11:59:58?" Irons drops his cigarette. "Shit... is this because of the battle that's going on at Briarwood?"

"The casualties are reaching over a million." Sears speaks up. "Property damage is estimated at 35 Billion and counting. Not to mention how much we've spent on weaponry just for such an occasion..."

"Shit...and this time, there's no way to recover the economy quick enough..." Irons takes out his bourbon. "How many years...?"

"I've run the numbers..." Dr. Cora gulps. "IF this is the only attack, we can expect full recovery in about thirteen years. But..."

"But the Mystic Force is but one team." Sears buries his face in his hands. "And we've got at least three more teams that want a piece of the government."

"Congress has spoken. If the Mystic Force is not stopped...we will repeal the Act, and hire the Private Rangers..." Irons looks away.

"At this rate, only a miracle can save us. Right now, if we can minimize the damage... no, even that will just be a Pyrrhic victory..." Sears lights himself a cigarette. "Patton Oswalt, you lucky son of a bitch..."

Over in Briarwood...

"We just want to help!" Ronny speaks out from the Overdrive Megazord's cockpit.

"Fuck you!" Vida punches the Overdrive Zord, but is herself blasted away by the Rescue Megazord's artillery.

"Right now, they are far beyond help!" Carter Grayson speaks out. "We need to detain them!"

"You have it all wrong!" Bella speaks up from the Poseidon Ultrazord. "They need medical help!"

"And that is what we want to give them!" Taylor speaks from the Kongazord.

"Fuck you! You'll just lock em up again! Just like last time!" Theo yells out from the Jungle Pride Megazord.

"You can't be trusted!" Lilly commands the Jungle Pride Megazord to attack the Rescue Megazord.

"You need to be stopped!" Chad launches another barrage of missiles.

"Please guys! Stop fighting!" Dax is unable to fight his fellow Rangers.

"This has gone way out of hand..." Wind speaks up. "Blaise... what's gonna happen to us?"

"I don't know, Wind... My visions don't go beyond today..." Blaise is crying within his helmet. "Wind... I'm scared."

"Me too, honey." Wind grabs his hand. The blast from the Kongazord knocks them both off the ground.

"Damn it! How the hell is an Ultrazord getting knocked around like this?" Arthur slams his fist unto the control panel. "Yo Echo! The fuck we do now?"

"Stop the fighting." Echo communicates with Arthur telepathically. "The Mystic Force has gone too far. Stop them."

"Are you telling us to sell them out?" Bella is shocked. "I mean..."

"The Mystic Force have killed innocents. In their rage, they have caused much mayhem and destruction. In their insanity, they have become the very enemies the public painted them as." Echo responds.

"But..."

"The Rangers you are fighting against fully intend to send them to a mental hospital, where they may be treated. But make no mistake. Their actions have earned them the righteous fury of the people. Having them locked away in a mental hospital will be an act of mercy."

"No..." Bella responds. "I won't let them. Echo... the Government locked us up when we had done nothing. We have been brutalized, whipped and humiliated, while guiltless. Echo...if we give away the Mystic Force to that same government...well...there will be NO mercy."

"You speak wisely." Echo concedes. "I am sorry..."

"The Government will kill them..." Arthur realizes. "My God...do those other guys even know?"

"Bella... this...it's all my fault..." Kenneth begins to cry. "I thought fighting back would bring us freedom... That killing soldiers..."

"Kenneth... we are all at fault..." Bella wipes a tear from her eye.

"We can't let the other guys get the Mystics." Arthur speaks with determination.

"We need to get them help..." Wind speaks up. At that moment, a blast from the Overdrive Megazord sends the Mu Rangers off the ground. "Shit! This is a fucking war zone!"

"Of course it is!" Arthur snaps back at her. "You blind?"

The Jungle Pride kicks the Overdrive, which is then hit by the Poseidon's blasters. As the Overdrive begins to throw sparks, the Kongazord steps in and punches the Poseidon in the back. In turn, the Rescue Megazord shoots the Poseidon while it is down. That's when Vida swoops down and grabs the Rescue Megazord by the 'neck', lifts it up into the air, and tosses it back. Chip then steps on the Rescue Megazord, and begins to stomp it into submission.

"Ugh..." Blaise holds his head in pain. "My...oh no... Bella! We have to get the hell out of here, NOW!"

"Blaise... did you just have another vision?" Arthur is terrified.

Meanwhile...

"You killed my son..." Andrew Hartford is sweating profusely. His hand hovers over the red button. He presses it. "Die."

Andrew Hartford weeps as he views the small blip on his radar fly off unto its destination. The most terrifying weapon known to man, Hartford built it from spare parts, as well as from certain resources he purchased on the black market. As he weeps, he holds the gun barrel unto his mouth. He opens his mouth, and places the gun inside it...

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("Hey dad! Look, my new book came in the mail!")

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("Just do it... MISTER Hartford.")

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("Ugh, I feel like my heart is racing... I have a heart!")

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("Dad! She said yes!")

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Bang.


	27. Chapter 27

Power Rangers: Public Enemies

Chapter 26: End of the Civil War- (Midnight)

"Billy?" Kat spoke through the communicator. "What are you doing?"

"Hello kitty cat. How is your white fur today? Is it dirty?" Billy chuckles. "Is kitty's fur dirty. Are her paws dirty?"

"Billy?" Zack is concerned. "What's..."

"Are you watching now?" Billy stands over the ruins of Angel Grove, suit case in hand. "Are you watching real closely? Like, REAL closely?"

"Billy...?" Andros is trembling. He holds his stomach, as if he is in immense pain.

"So...that's what we are all good for, isn't it? Watching. We don't act, we watch. We all love to pretend we don't see evil, do we?" Billy chuckles.

"Billy? The hell you talking about?" Zack spoke out. He has a horrible feeling in his stomach, like he is about to witness something horrible.

"Zack, last year, you, the rest of the Rangers, and myself included acted to help keep the peace amongst the rioters. For all the other Rangers, it was an act of duty. But for us, the Mighty Morphing, it was an act of redemption." Billy wipes a tear from his eye. "We watched..."

"Billy...we couldn't get to her in time..." Zack's hand is trembling. "Stop blaming yourself for her death!"

"How can I? I watched her die, Zack! I sat there, helpless as Dex and Trini died at the hands of Dregon!" Billy opens the briefcase. "I have tried for five whole years to make her sacrifice worthwhile. I keep remembering the last words I ever spoke to her...'It will not be in vain'... But it was..."

"Billy! Hush your mouth! You and I both know 2010 was out of our hands!"

"But it was in our hands. If not for us, 2010 would not have happened. Or, have you forgotten how we were so lax in 2009?" Billy begins taking out the Crystals of Gaia one by one. "Maximov and his cohorts operated so under the radar that we couldn't even detect them. As if that wasn't enough, no one, and I mean NO ONE thought to assemble at least a team of Rangers until Mesogog summoned his Sinister Six. Remember that, Zack?"

Billy places the last Crystal on the ground, remembering that day...

_Zeltrax stood proud, flanked by Furio, Scorch, Goldar, Retinax and Darkonda. Zack and Ethan ready their weapons, knowing fully well they were outnumbered and outmatched. Mesogog appears behind the Rangers, chuckling._

"_Meet my newest force, Rangers. I call them my Sinister Six. I'd take this opportunity to monolog about their strength, but...I feel a demonstration is more appropriate." Mesogog snaps his fingers._

_Furio rushes towards Ethan, his sword at the ready. Though Ethan is ready to block the blade, he does not expect Goldar to strike him from behind with a powerful kick, which sends him flying towards Furio's hungry blade. As sparks fly off of Ethan's suit, Darkonda jumps to the air, and lands on Ethan's back, continuously stomping on his head. _

_Scorch and Retinax strike at Zack from both sides, keeping him on guard. However, an unexpected strike from behind, courtesy of Zeltrax, causes him to lose his guard. Scorch and Retinax then strike Zack down, demorphing him. He lays on the ground next to Ethan, terrified of Mesogog's new squad..._

"We allowed Evil to slip through our fingers. We allowed ourselves to believe we had the right to a life as ordinary civilians, that we could take a break from being a Ranger." Billy begins to tremble as tears flow down his face. "And do you know why we did that?"

Zack, Kat, Andros and the rest lay in silence.

"Because we are used to it. We are used to the idea that we can punch out once we're done fighting our villains. That once we are done, we can hang up our Morpher." Billy is crying. "But we can't. We don't have that right. Once a Ranger, always a fucking Ranger! Once you're given this Morpher, a quiet life is out of the question! You're not allowed to be free, you're not allowed to retire, to have kids, to have a wife or to even have a house! No! You have to be on call all the fucking time, just in case this ONE villain shows up with no Ranger team to oppose it!"

Billy's tears dampen his shirt, bu he remains strong as the Crystals float around him. "She was supposed to be married, Zack. Trini and Dex were gonna get married, have kids and live happily ever after. But no...there wasn't a Ranger team in 2005, so WE we're the ones who had to fight Dregon. And look what happened..."

The earth underneath Billy begins to shake. The energy from the Crystals cuts off all communication between Billy and the Rangers. "But it's never going to happen again..."

Meanwhile...

"We have to get the fuck out of here!" Blaise takes the Poseidon Ultrazord's control away from Bella, and violently pilots the Zord away from the battlefield.

"Blaise calm down!" Bella pushes Blaise away. "The hell, man?"

"I think we should do what he says, Bells." Arthur is shaking. "Blaise is never wrong about this kinda thing."

Suddenly, the Ultrazord began to howl by itself, splitting itself unto the individual Zords that formed it.

"The fuck! It's never done this before!" Arthur bellows from the Blue Shark Zord. He watches as the Mighty Whale Carrier Zord howls in fear. Suddenly, all the Mu Zords began to howl.

"Ugh! They've never done this before!" Wind holds onto her ears. She gets knocked back by the force of Chip's attack.

"Even now they continue to attack..." Kenneth ponders while inside the Yellow Crab Zord. "Bella, what do we do?"

Bella, in her Red Dolphin Zord, ponders her options. "Retreat! We can't ignore the fact that our Zords seem afraid of something!"

"Sounds good to me!" Arthur breathes a sigh of relief.

All the Mu Guardian Zords began to retreat. It was at this time that the Wild Zords and Jungle Fury Zords began to howl as well.

"Damn it!" Taylor struggles to stay on her feet. "What the hell's going on?"

"The Zords are scared!" Cole realizes. "Taylor, we gotta retreat!"

"Oh my God..." Taylor falls down due to the Kongazord continuously shaking and howling. It was then that it split itself up into its various individual Zords.

"Ugh..." Alissa shakes her head. "Look! Even the Jungle Fury Megazord is breaking itself! This is a bad omen..."

"We're retreating to safety!" Cole orders. All the other Wild Force Rangers follow Cole's lead to safety.

"The Wild Force and Jungle Fury Rangers have retreated!" Kelsey observes.

"We can finally stop the Mystic Force..." Carter feels in his gut that he should also retreat. "We should retreat too..."

"Why?" Joel interrupts. "I mean..."

"The Wild Zords, Jungle Fury Zords and Mu Guardian Zords are all sentient, right? And they all, at the same time, began to howl. They were scared of something..."

'So...we retreat too." Dana infers. "Let's get...Carter! There''s soldiers down there!"

"Damn it!" Carter slams his fist onto the control panel. He opens the communicator. "Soldiers! We need to get out of here!"

'There are still civilians in the city!" General Miles speaks through a megaphone. "And we cannot retreat until we stop the Mystics! If we don't stop them here, we won't know where they will strike next!"

"Damn it..." Carter reflects on his options. "Guys...get the hell out of here. I'll take care of this."

"No." Chad pats Carter on the shoulder. "Forget it."

"We're with you." Dana holds Carter's hand. Kelsey and Damon give him a thumbs up.

"Then...let's hurry."

In the Overdrive Megazord...

"I've had enough.." Will grabs the intercom. "Mystics! Stop right now!"

"Never!" Nick roars.

Ronny grabs the intercom. "Guys...please...look around you... Look at what happened to Briarwood."

"Who cares!" Vida slams her fists onto The Overdrive Megazord's Torso.

"Isn't this the town you grew up in? Isn't this where you lived? Where your parents lived?" Ronny appeals to emotion. She uses the Megazord to point to the beach. "Remember how you guys swam in that ocean?"

"No..." Chip calms down slightly.

"Where's your mother, Chip?" Carter speaks through the Megazord's speaker. "Where is she?"

"Huh?"

"I asked you, do you know where she is?"

"Uh..." Chip lands on the ground, seemingly processing the question.

"Let me tell you where she is. She's underneath that rubble over there." Carter dispassionately points to a large pile of rubble. "You killed her."

"No...how would you know?" Chip gets angrier.

"Look for her, if you can."

"I couldn't have killed her..."

"Vida! Where are YOUR parents?" Carter asks with as little emotion as possible.

"What..." Vida tries to process the question.

"Did you, by any chance, tell them about Madison's death? Did you mourn alongside them? Or..." Carter points to a burning building. "Did you kill them in your rage?"

"No...we couldn't..." Vida falls to her knees, shrinking to her regular shape.

"You did. You killed everyone you could get your hands on." Carter's voice is slowly getting angrier. "You didn't give a rat's ass about who you hurt."

"It was the Government's fault! They locked us away and treated us like shit!" Nick protests.

"And look around you! Do you think that excuses you from what you did here?" Carter's voice is full of fury. "Count them! Count the corpses!"

"It wasn't our fault..." Nick's voice has gotten far weaker now. "We were tortured...and the Overdrives killed Madison...!"

"No! Rose killed Madison! After HE- "Carter points to Chip. "-Killed Mack! The only thing you three are doing is taking a vicious cycle of revenge too far!"

"No..." Chip is angry and confused.

"By the way Chip. Do you even know why Mack was there?" Chad speaks up. "He was going to help you escape! That's right, he wanted to help you! And you killed him!"

"I..." Chip breaks down. "I didn't..."

"You didn't know? You didn't mean to?" Joel speaks angrily. "You're not excused either way!"

Chip and Nick shrink down. Along with Vida, all three de-morph, laying on the ground. Vida spots a familiar building. She gets up, and searches through the debris. She finds a sign. It reads 'R-O-(missing letter)-(missing letter)-P-O-(Missing letter)-I-(Missing letter)-M'. A wave of memories crash through her mind, remembering the happier times she shared with her sister. Vida suddenly begins to break down in tears. Ronnie gets out of the Overdrive Megazord and hurries towards Vida, embracing her.

"Ronnie?" Kelsey watches in awe. "What? But she killed Rose!"

"And I hate what she did!" Ronnie looks at Vida with pity in her eyes. "But I can't let her suffer like this... they all need medical help..."

"Carter...she's right. Their psyches are completely broken at this point." Dana jumps down and lands on the ground. "Sending them to any place that is not a psychiatric ward will most likely kill them."

"Well..." Carter leads the rest of the Lightspeed and Overdrive rangers down. "I say...we do the right thing. Let's get them some professional help."

"Yeah..." Will kneels down besides Nick. "I don't know if they deserve it, but I do know it would be shitty of us to lock them in jail again..."

"They sure as hell don't deserve it." Dax speaks up. "I mean, look! I've never any monster do this level of damage!"

That was when the remaining soldiers showed up. "We're taking them in!"

"Hell no." Carter steps up. "These ex Rangers are under our custody. And before you even think about citing how much destruction they have caused, or how dangerous they are, I have three words for you: Piedra del Diablo."

"What..." The soldier is flabbergasted.

"From now on the Rangers will be having a voice! We're not just ordinary citizens! We are a force! A force that places the life of its embers on the line constantly, to fight the monsters YOU can't! If you think we're going to be pushed around further, you are mistaken!"

"You traitorous..."

"Us? Traitorous? No. We are citizens. Citizens who lived ordinary, unassuming lives before donning the Morpher. Citizens who gave up their comfort, their safety, and tragically, some of us have given their lives for the sake of people like you. We donned the Spandex so you could sleep soundly at night, so your kids could go to school, so you people could see yet another sunrise." Carter gets angrier by the second. "After we fought evil, after we gave so much, what the hell did we ask for? Did we ask for medals? Did we ask for holidays bearing our names? Did we ask for fame? For money?"

The soldier is unsure how to answer that.

"We asked for peace and quiet. We fought, we served, we did our share. And all we asked is that we could go back to living unassuming, anonymous lives. But no! The Government...no, the PEOPLE wouldn't have that! Shit gets bad, what the fuck happens? People started turning on each other! The sunrise we fought so hard for heralded a day of treason and discontent! And when things got at their worst...we donned the Spandex again. To keep kids like YOU safe!"

The soldier, as well as the ones behind him, are nervous now.

"The Government decided to blame the Power Rangers for their little mess. That's fine, you know? I admit, sometimes there's collateral damage, and not a day goes by when I don't wish it never came to that. But it does. We try our best, we fail sometimes. But we at least strive to keep people like you safe. So, when the Ranger Act came about, some of us resisted. Want to know why? Because we are still citizens, and the Act was a violation of our rights! But, some of us were OK with that. Some of us decided to be good little Americans and give up our basic rights so big daddy Government could keep the people sleeping soundly. But then three Rangers decided to act cute, and attack helpless soldiers. So what does Big Daddy Government do? They go look for innocents Rangers, INNOCENT Rangers, and lock them up! And as if that wasn't bad enough, you torture them!"

The soldiers begin to step away from Carter.

"And THIS...THIS is the end result of your Government's actions. You torture people, you lose them, they strike back at you, and hard. All because you needed scapegoats." Carter calms down. "Well, the Power Rangers won't be your scapegoats anymore. If you need scapegoats, go find someone else. From now on, you people are on your own. If Lord Zedd ever comes back from the dead, then may Heaven help you, because the Power Rangers sure as hell won't. We will remember how you all abandoned us when we needed help the most."

Carter turns his back to the soldiers, and signals his team to take the Mystic Force. A single soldier regains his composure. "Hey. If you wanna call the old man out, you knock on his door, not yell at his dog."

Carter turns around. "Good advice."

The Overdrive Rangers are stunned at Carter's display of authority. Will steps up. "Carter, what the hell did you just do?"

"I shrugged." Carter's eyes are stone cold.

"Wow..." Ronny turns away. She suddenly notices everything getting brighter. She looks up at the sky. "What's that?"

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("Mom...")

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("Grandma...")

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("Marina...I'm...coming...")

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("No...")

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"The fuck?" Taylor is stunned at the sight. She, as well as the rest of the Wild Force, Jungle Fury and Mu Rangers had found shelter in the mountains.

"That was...an atomic bomb, right?" Max falls to his knees at the sight of the mushroom shaped fireball.

"Yeah..." Alissa sits down. "Wow..."

"Holy crap..." Casey watches with shock and terror. "Hey...where are the Lightspeeds?"

"And the Overdrives...and the Mystics?" Bella looks around. "They never followed us..."

"Holy..." Realization hits Cole. "No...I'm sure they're OK..."

"I..." Danny is unsure what to say.

"My God..." Blaise is trembling. "Wind...hold me..."

"Don't worry honey, I'm here..." Wind's eyes are misty. She and Blaise hold each other in a trembling embrace.

Suddenly, the earth below them shook violently. Unbeknownst to them at the time, the whole world was suffering a major earthquake.

In what was once Angel Grove, the ground splits, allowing the unholy demon to escape from Hell.

"Arise, Baal! Arise, and fill my hands with blood!" Billy yells out at the gargantuan demon as tears flood his face.


	28. Chapter 28

Power Rangers: Public Enemies

Chapter 27: Rise of Baal (The death of the Power Rangers)

"Will these do?" Conner hands over the three Dino Gems to Piggy. He glances over at Kira, who was holding a very distraught Ethan.

"Yes, yes these will do nicely." Piggy hands Conner the three tickets. "Now, you hurry on up now, the barge is gonna leave in ten minutes."

"Come on guys." Conner leads Kira and Ethan towards the space shuttle. The clock reads 11:31 PM.

Hundreds of people were lining up in hopes of escaping the hell that Earth had become. Kira, Conner and Ethan had managed to find their seats. As they sit down, the clock reads 11:42 PM. The shuttle takes off. Kira looks on with sadness in her eyes at the people left behind on Earth. She sees many people kneeling down, begging the passengers of the other shuttles to let them in.

"It's awful, isn't it?" Kira wipes a tear from her eye.

"Pfff, good riddance to those assholes." A rich sheik who sat up front said. "Last year, those fags were trampling over children over medicine and food. And now they beg for mercy?"

Ethan pondered what the sheik had said. Though Kira was quick to argue with him, Ethan didn't feel so sure if there was such a thing as 'innocent civilians'. The time is 11:53, and the shuttle was halfway to the moon.

"Earth is so beautiful from here..." Conner looks out the window. "What the... Hey...does it look like the Earth is shaking to you?"

Ethan and Kira look out the window. Indeed, the Earth did seem to shake a bit...

In Hell...

"Ha ha! I don't know who's stupid enough to summon Baal, but that guy's got balls!" Moltor laughs his heart out. "Look at that, Hartford! Did you see that?"

"Well now, if this isn't the best day of my afterlife, I don't know what is!" Lothor takes out the alcohol. "A toast! Earth is finished!"

"Hey look!" Baboo points out to a hole up above. "We can get out!"

"Yeah, great idea guys." Andrew Hartford speaks out from the small cage where he was held. "Go out there."

"Wait." Finster interjects. "If we go out there...We'll be with Baal."

"Uh..." Loki ponders this. "Let's stay here then."

Back on Earth...

Billy looks on in horror at the towering demon. Baal, one of the Seven Lords of Hell, a demon born from before Time itself. He lets out a powerful roar, alerting the world that he has returned. Baal notices the Crystals of Gaia, and kneels down at Billy.

"I see you have summoned me." Baal's horned face is so large that, when he approaches Billy, it blocks out his view of the sky. "For you, I will grant a mercy: You will be the last to die."

Baal lets out another roar. He leaps up, flapping his six wings. The beating of his wings summons hurricane winds beneath him. He takes off, leaving beneath him not even a stone of what was once Angel Grove.

"What have I done..." Billy looks on what is now a gaping hole in the ground. He looks behind him, and sees what was once the Command Center. The Crystals of Gaia fall limpidly around Billy. He takes off his bottle, and takes a drink of his Mystic Water.

_**Young,**__** by Hollywood Undead.**_

_**We are young, we have heart  
Born in this world as it all falls apart  
We are strong, but we don't belong  
Born in this world as it all falls apart**_

(The ground shook underneath the Ranger's feet. Taylor observes her two Bear Zords howl in fear. Her stomach churns, and she commands her comrades to Morph.)

_**I see the children in the rain like the parade before the pain  
I see the love, I see the hate, I see this world that we can make  
I see the life, I see the sky, give it all to see you fly  
Yes, we wave this flag of hatred, but you're the ones who made it**_

(The Wild Force, Jungle Fury and Mu Rangers morph, and enter their Zords. The ground does not cease to shake. Several trucks carrying refugees are evacuating the premises. Wind and Blaise hold each other, trying to comfort themselves.)

Watch the beauty of all our lives, passing right before my eyes  
I hear the hate in all your words, all the wars to make us hurt  
We get so sick, we're so sick, we never wanted all this  
Medication for the kids with no reason to live

(An American flag lays in taters, flying pathetically whilst tied to the railing of the balcony of a house that overlooks the rubble of what was once Briarwood. The flames from the earlier nuclear blast consume it, turning it into ash. A charred skeleton is decked with barely recognizable red Spandex, the symbol of Lightspeed Rescue barely visible in the belt.)

_**So we march to the drums of the damned as we come  
Watch it burn in the sun, we are numb**_

(Baal arrives. The Rangers look on in horror.)

_**We are young, we have heart  
Born in this world as it all falls apart  
We are strong, but we don't belong  
Born in this world as it all falls apart**_

(The Space Rangers, along with all the Ranger refugees they had gathered, watch in horror as Baal rises. Andros doesn't even need to give the order, as all the former Rangers grab their morphers, ready for battle.)

_**As we walk among these shadows, in these streets, these fields of battle  
Take it up, we wear the medal, raise your hands with burning candles**_

(A young man attempts to break into Eric's home, his mind constantly replaying the horrible memory of when the Quantum Ranger brutally shot his father to death. The ground underneath him shakes.)

_**Hear us whisper in the dark, in the rain you see the spark  
Feel the beating of our hearts, fleeting hope as we depart**_

(Eric lays in his bed, replaying the many times he was forced to resort to deadly force in order to keep the peace. There is not one instance he does not regret. An earthquake starts.)

_**All together, walk alone against all we've ever known  
All we've ever rally wanted was a place to call our home**_

("I did this. I'm responsible for all this shit..." Ethan cries into Kira's shoulder. "Why didn't I just accept the Ranger Act?")

_**But you take all we are, the innocence of our hearts  
Made to kneel before the altar as you tear us apart**_

(Conner closes his eyes, debating whether he had done the right thing in selling away the Dino Gems.)

_**So we march to the drums of the damned as we come  
Watch it burn in the sun, we are numb**_

(The Astro Megazord is piloted by the refugee Rangers, whilst the Mega Voyager was piloted by the Space Rangers. Both Zords raced towards Earth.)

_**We are young, we have heart  
Born in this world as it all falls apart  
We are strong, but we don't belong  
Born in this world as it all falls apart**_

("Let's go!" Cole and Taylor command the rest of the Rangers to attack Baal.)

_**We will fight, or we will fall  
Til the angels save us all**_

(The Jungle Pride Megazord rushes at Baal, but the demon grabs the Megazord by the leg, tosses it into the air, and launches a red beam from his eyes. The beam collides with the Megazord, completely destroying it and the Rangers piloting it.)

_**We will fight, or we will fall  
Til the angels save us all**_

(The Poseidon Ultrazord is picked up by Baal's telekinetic powers. As it hovers into the air, Baal shakes the Rangers out of the Megazord, and holds them in place with his binding powers. He then launches an energy bomb from his mouth. Seeing the bomb coming, Arthur tries shielding Bella with his body, whilst Blaise and Wind hold each other tightly. Kenneth watches the ball coming toward him, knowing he has lived his last day. The bomb explodes, tearing the Rangers bodies apart.)

_**We will fight, or we will fall  
Til the angels save us all**_

(Baal punches through the Kongazord's hull, and pulls out the Wild Force Rangers by hand. He gleefully watches Alyssa, Danny and Max squirm, whilst Cole and Taylor. Baal squeezes his fist, watching with glee as the sparks fly off. Once he is done, he opens his palm and licks the blood right off.)

_**We will fight, or we will fall  
Til the angels save us all**_

(Baal sees the Astro Megazord and Mega Voyager flying towards him. He smiles, preparing two energy balls in his palms. He flies up, passes the two Megazords, and launches the balls at them. Both Megazords explode on impact, and none of the Rangers survive.)

_**We are young, we have heart  
Born in this world as it all falls apart  
We are strong, but we don't belong  
Born in this world as it all falls apart**_

We are young, we have heart  
Born in this world as it all falls apart  
We are strong, but we don't belong  
Born in this world as it all falls apart

Baal laughs as he lands. He stretches. "Ah, good excersize. Now time for some fun."

In Hell..

"Anyone killed by Baal is sent to Hell, no matter how they lived their life." Maximov the vampire looks on at the souls of the Power Rangers, who fall unto Hell like rain unto the earth.

"This day just keeps getting better and better!" Loki laughs out loud.

Andrew Hartford looks on with a sorrowful gaze as the Rangers writhe in the flames of Hell...

Back on Earth...

"Commander Birdie it's time." Billy puts away his Intergalactic Communicator. He then takes out his old Communicator from his Ranger days. He opens a secret compartment in his suitcase, and takes out his old Morpher, along with Jason's...


	29. Chapter 29

Power Rangers: Public Enemies

Episode 28: Aneinu (Fall of the geopolitical sphere)

In Heaven...

"Thus is the Will of Heaven: Save the Righteous, Protect the Gates." The Seraph, Idkazael, spoke in a booming voice. His appearance cannot be described, as there are no terms or words in any human language that could possibly describe what he is.

"But wait! What about the people of Earth?" Trini steps forward, flanked by the Magna Defender. "I mean, you're just gonna let everyone else die?"

"Yes." Idkazael takes a sip of his mead. "They would have gone to Hell anyway. Why waste our time saving the Hell bound?"

"Baal is one of the Seven Satans in Earth. Our direct intervention could also spark a war between Heaven and Hell." The Seraph Sandalphon, whose head was that of an eagle's, the wings of a bat, the body of a lion, the tail of a snake, the arms of a crocodile and the feet of a rooster, spoke. "And besides that, his resurrection was the direct action of a mortal. Interfering here will be interfering with that mortal's free will, which is against our Laws."

"So you'll let Earth be destroyed? Just like that?" Trini clenches her fist. Magna Defender himself felt disgust towards the Seraphs.

"Yes. For all mortals fall short of the glory of Heaven." Thus spoke Seraph Kidzikael, who could best be described as a two dimensional triangle whose angles summed up to 321 degrees with a three dimensional shadow. "All these things are willed by Heaven, thus they shall come to pass..."

Back on Earth...

The child runs for her life, never turning back to watch the carnage that played behind her. She runs and runs, passing by the bodies of those that were trampled by the fearful and desperate. She had been separated from her mother and father, but she had no time to worry about that. All she can do is run...

Boom! An explosion in the horizon! As the country's Air Defense Force flies down towards him, Baal completely devastates his fortieth city...

The girl keeps running. She does not stop to look overhead and watch the jet planes fly above the city. Nor does she stop to try and help any of the people around her. Of course, considering the fact that there might have been nothing she could do, as she was only six years at the oldest, maybe it's better for her to just keep on running.

In Mecca...

"May Allah help us all..." An English speaking Muslim is one of thousands upon thousands praying to God in this sacred city. "May his mercy be upon us and save us from the terror of Satan."

"Allah nos salve..." Another Muslim prays with tears in his eyes. "Allah nos rescate...que nos rescate de Satanas."

Hundreds of thousands of Muslims continue to flock to this city, all with their hearts in their sleeves, hoping their prayers will be answered. Those that are not here are facing this very city in one way or another...

In Vatican City...

The Pope faces the multitude of tens of thousands, leading them in prayer. Though on the outside he is a mountain of unwavering faith, in his heart there is still the very human fear of being abandoned. He would, however, not be glad to know he is not the only one to feel that way within his own ranks.

"Pater noster, qui es in caelis, sanctificetur nomen tuum..." The Pope prays and the people follow in their own languages. Mostly Italian, however. "..sed libera nos a malo. Amen."

The multitudes remain in prayer, beginning the Creed. The Pope's hands shake, and quite a number of people notice this. However, this is the one time in History where their faith must NOT falter...

In New Delhi...

There is no one left here. The Ganges has dried up. The city itself is on fire. The streets are littered with the dead. The sewers are overflowing with the blood of the fallen. The sky is blood red, or at least the parts not covered in smoke are. The suffocating heat is the result of Baal's attacks.

The corpse of a young mother covering her newborn son is slowly burnt away by the flames. As the infant itself cries out to whatever soul might be unlucky enough to have survived, the smoke enters his little lungs. There aren't even any rats that will be able to feast on the corpses.

Near what used to be the shores of the Ganges River, there is one Ranger still standing. He is the last living member of one of the Private Power Ranger companies, Springfield Star Standard. He begins to laugh maniacally. Then he begins to laugh while crying. After that, he merely starts crying. Tears in his eyes, he takes out his gun, puts it in his mouth, then pulls the trigger...

In Jerusalem...

The little girl has stopped running. She nearly collapses from exhaustion, but someone picks her up. It is a young Israeli soldier, barely past 18 years of age. He looks at the little girl, she is Palestinian. He looks around him, hoping to find her shelter, but deems the entire city unsafe. He signals to his unit's jeep.

"קבל ילד זה מקום בטוח " The young soldier loads the tired girl unto the jeep and watches as it takes off. The ground beneath his feet shakes. He looks up, and sees Baal towering over the horizon. The young soldier gulps, picks up his gun, and runs towards the fight.

In Rootcore...

"Goodbye, Xander. See ya when I see ya..." Jason lays Xander's body on the ground, as an inconsolable Clare weeps onto Leelee's shoulder. Phineas said a silent prayer for the fallen Mystic Ranger.

"I don't believe it man... Bowen, why?" Phineas dries his tears. "Xander was such a nice guy, always ready with a joke and a laugh..."

"Xander..." Clare sobs. "Oh God why?"

"Damn...I hope..." Jason calmed himself before he said something truly horrible. "No...I don't hope that...not at all..."

"Jason!" Echo's voice resonated in Jason's head. "This is terrible! Baal has risen once more!"

"Baal!" Jason screams out loud, scaring Phineas, Clare and Leelee. "Guys, Baal has returned!"

"That's impossible!" Leelee cries out. "He's in Hell, where he belongs!"

"No...someone has resurrected Baal..." Echo's voice now resounded within everyone's heads. "Someone...Jason, I've terrible news... our Rangers have fallen..."

"What..." Jason's whisper barely escapes his lips. "Bella...Ken, Arthur...Blaise, Wind..."

"All dead...as are the Lightspeeds...and the Wild Force, Jungle Fury, even the Mystic Force is dead. And the Overdrives as well...I am sorry..."

"No..." Jason is speechless.

"Now what..." Phineas is nervous. "Baal is out there...what if he comes here?"

"The forces of Heaven have restored and reenforced the Nexus palings. All the Nexi on Earth have been completely separated and sealed off, including the Magic Nexus... However, Baal is strong enough to break the palings with ease." Echo sighs. "I fear your only shelter is if Baal decides to destroy something else. But it's not a question of IF, but of WHEN he will come to kill you."

"Baal is one of the Satans...They desire nothing but destruction... I can't believe anyone would resurrect Baal..." Leelee lies down.

Back in Jerusalem...

A Palestinian aims his rocket launcher at Baal and fires. The rocket flies towards Baal and lands a direct hit. However, considering how powerful Baal is, the blast is barely powerful enough to leave a temporary singe. Baal chuckles as he throws a fireball at the city, completely devastating it. Smoke rises from the ruins of Jerusalem, as thousands of corpses burn in the hellish flames brought by Baal. As the Israeli Defense Force rains their might on Baal, the demon simply shakes off their attacks like they were flies. Baal laughs as he fires off a laser from the palm of his hand which completely devastates every last tank, jet fighter and missile launcher Israel had sent to deal with the demon. The Israeli Defense Force, in the end, shared the same fate as the South Korean Army, the North Korean Army, the Chinese Army, the Laotian army, etc...

"Ahhh, delicious. The smell of death, the sound of destruction in the morning, how I missed this." Baal chuckles. "Ah, my brothers would love this."

Baal levitates, observing the smoldering ruins of Jerusalem with a smile on his face. He looks around him, deciding where to go next. He begins heading up north.

In Washington DC...

"Both Koreas have suffered extensive losses. So has Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Japan..." George Sears sweats profusely as he is given the report. "India's losses are considerable, Pakistan's losses as well. China...devastated. Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Baal has not spared these nations."

"Sir!" A soldier enters the Oval Office. "News from Israel! Jerusalem has been destroyed! The IDF has been wiped off the face of the Earth!"

"How awful..." George Sears takes a swig of whiskey. "The world...What options are there?"

"Sir, our own Armed Forces have suffered heavy losses as well. Of all forces stationed in Asia, the only ones left are in Turkey, Afghanistan and Yemen. Sir, orders?"

"...Use The Bomb..." George Sears clenches his fists. "Blow him the fuck out of the planet."

Back in Rootcore...

"Jason..." Echo coughs. "I...can't...anymore..."

"Echo?" Jason gets up.

"Jason...Billy...awaits for you, in the old Command Center...his heart has been blanketed by darkness..." Echo's body sinks into the waters of the Lemurian Sea. "Jason, I can no longer sustain my life force...I have been separated from the Stone of Poseidon for far too long.."

"Then teleport the hell away from the Sea of Lemuria!" Jason punches the wall.

"Not enough energy left..." Echo closes his eyes. "Jason...It was great...This world...I leave it to you to decide of it's worth saving..."

"Echo..." Jason's eyes form tears. "I..."

But the crimson dolphin had died.

"You were my friend..." Jason clenches his fists. "You and I helped raise a fantastic team of Rangers... Kenneth, Arthur, Blaise, Wind, I hope you guys rest in peace. Bella, I am so sorry things...I hope in Heaven you find a man worthy of you. Please rest in peace..."

Jason dries his tears. He asks Clare to teleport him out of the Magic Nexus. Clare teleports him to the foot of the Angel Grove mountains. The Command Center is a short hike away...

Above Moscow...

Baal smiles as the Russian Army tries in vain to stop him.

"Ahhh, more death." Baal prepares another laser in his palm. A shadow...

"Hello Jason." Billy takes out a pocket watch.

"Billy..." Jason gasps as he sees the Crystals of Gaia by Billy's feet. "You!"

"He's dead anyway." Billy chuckles. "Right around...now."

A spaceship appears above Baal. As Baal turns around to see it, he sees the ship fire a laser at him.

"Hahahaha! Come on, let's see what you've..." The blast from the laser blasts Baal's head right off. Baal's headless body falls limply unto the ground as the Russians flee. When Baal's body hits the ground it creates an explosion so devastating it completely destroys Moscow...


	30. Chapter 30

Power Rangers: Public Enemies

Episode 29: The wrong thing for the right reasons

"Billy! Why?" Jason's fury knew no bounds at that moment. His teeth were bared, the blood in his fists pumping wildly. "What the hell have you done!"

"I saved the world." Billy smirks. "What have YOU done?"

"QUIT PLAYING GAMES!" Jason roars. "What the hell have you done, summoning Baal! What's the big idea!"

Billy takes out a cigarrette. "Well now, I suppose you might have earned the right to know. But I warn you, it IS a long story. Do you have time?"

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Jason rushes towards Billy, but Billy merely takes out a stun gun and shoots Jason squarely in the chest.

"What were you thinking, Jason? That you could go gung ho at the guy who had the brains to summon Baal?" Billy watches as Jason's limp body falls to the ground.

"Bastard." Jason cannot move, but his face was not yet paralyzed.

"Sticks and stones, Jason." Billy sits down next to Jason's paralyzed body. "Well now, do you finally have time? I see you do."

Billy chuckles. He lights his cigarette.

Meanwhile...

"Impressive." Sergeant Silverback scratches his chin. He walks over to the hull of his ship's main Power Supplier. He walks over to the ship's main gun's Power Chamber, opens it, and removes the Corona Aurora. He shows it to Kat Manx and Fowler Birdie.

"This ship is the most advanced piece of technology SPD has to offer. It's main cannon, at 1005 power, fires a laser with a power capacity of 100,000,000 gigawatts, enough to wipe out a city of 300,000 people." Kat trembles in awe of the Corona's power. "But with that...Crown... the power was over a googolwatt... I have never seen such an energy source..."

"Utilizing that Crown, we can make an innumerable number of scientific advances." Fowler Birdie eyes the Corona.

"It is unfortunate, then, that the Corona Aurora is outside your reach." The Sentinel Knight steps out of the shadows and takes the Corona.

"What are you doing?"

"The deal was to use the Crown of the Gods to power up your gun and kill Baal." The Sentinel Knight points towards Moscow's ruins. "Baal's dead. The deal has been accomplished. Now, good bye."

Before he teleports away, The Sentinel Knight takes one last look at the planet Earth, knowing he had no friends in that planet anymore.

"Well then, communicate with this planet's leaders. Tell them we will meet with them." Birdie gives the order to his ship's communicator.

Back at Angel Grove's mountains...

(The following narration is Billy's speech to Jason.)

How did all this happen, Jason? Three years ago, so little ago, the Power Rangers were known the world over as a force for good. Three years ago, when Casey and his Rangers were fighting Dai Shi and his beasts, there was no way to think any of this would happen. Three years ago, everything seemed so bright and sunny.

But here's a little something you didn't know, Jason. Three years ago, while the Jungle Fury was fighting Dai Shi, several corporations were trying to make their own Power Rangers. How did they know they could do it? Because Andrew Hartford already did it. That's right Jason. It's a game of follow the leader, and everyone wants to play.

Several paramilitary companies were salivating over the idea of creating cheap, efficient 'super soldiers' and super weapons. Mass produced Power Rangers, entire armies that were invulnerable to conventional weaponry, with enhanced physical prowess and access to a wide variety of powerful weaponry. It was a military enthusiast's wet dream. But there were problems...

Did you know, Jason, that our 'activities' were slowly chipping away at the US' economy? Every time we fought, we would cause accidental property damage. True, people seldom got hurt, but there was still damage.

Whenever the United States economy suffers, the world economy takes a major blow. You might not have noticed, but during the last decade, everything began to get more expensive, and taxes began to increase slightly. In 2000, taxes were at 3%, but in 2005, taxes were at 8%. In 2006, when people were complaining about gas being at 99 dollars the barrel, the governments of Burma, Yemen, and Sierra Leone, to name but a few, declared bankruptcy and closed their governments down. Their peoples were quite upset. In 2008, the same thing happened in nations like Seychelles, Qatar, Cyprus and Monaco. All this served to hit the world economy. Meanwhile, here we are, fighting monsters and causing damage, just adding up to the problem.

Meanwhile, guess what the government wanted? That's right Jason, they wanted to stop the problem. But, here's the thing: How do they stop us? They haven't the power nor the money to stand up to the forces of evil like we do. They needed us, we were too important to replace.

But there was an even bigger problem, Jason. We were powerful. We had the technology to level cities, with little effort to boot. So, guess what the big wigs at Washington thought? They thought "Why don't we have that?" We were a power they didn't control. What did they have to control us? Nothing. So that is why they feared us.

The big wigs in Washington were practically masturbating to the fantasy of controlling an army of Power Rangers. With that army, no one could stand up to America. But there was something only a few of those politicians did not count on, Jason. There were seeds of a new movement in America, a movement that wanted laissez-faire economics to make a comeback.

Do you know what laissez-faire economy is? It means that the Government doesn't get involved with the economy at all. No governmental controls of any kind. That means no FDA, no taxes, the works. Now, here's a little question: what does this have to do with anything? Well, let me get there, Jason, don't be so impatient.

The Government wanted Rangers they could control. Rangers they could call out to the field of battle and fight for them. The companies were making them those Rangers, whilst at the same time there was a movement to weaken the Government's control over the market. The companies were turning the Power Rangers into a product the Government could buy. But with Laissez-Faire, the Government would not be able to interfere with how the companies 'sold' the Power Rangers. There was just one tiny little inconvenience: There were still plenty of active Rangers that worked for 'free'.

What those companies wanted to make, they couldn't because we were still active. They wanted a monopoly in Ranger technology and services, but they couldn't, because WE were still around! We were a thorn on many people's sides, Jason. So, what to do, what to do?

The paramilitary companies wanted us gone, but they couldn't get rid of us because our identities were still a secret. No one knew who we were, so no one knew who to kill.

Oh? You didn't know about this, Jason? Oh yes, a lot of important, powerful people wanted us gone. People that were sick of a Power greater than America's, people that wanted to make money off of what we did for free, Plenty of people would have killed us if they knew who we were. So, how to find out who we were, Jason? How can our identities become known?

Did you know that these same people were beyond angry at president Patton Oswald? Oh yes, Jason, they were pissed at him. Want to know why? Because he asked us to unite against Mesogog's forces. Remember that, Jason, when Mesogog tried to escape from Hell using the Crystals of Gaia? When the world needed the Power Rangers together? People were pissed because Oswald recognized us as necessary, because he recognized the fact that America was not strong enough to handle Mesogog OR every other enemy we faced. Mesogog and his buddy, Maximov the demon vampire, proved to be the catalyst for change in America.

Remember how proud we were when we united together and stopped Mesogog's forces from escaping Hell and taking over the world? That was our finest hour, Jason. Our finest hour... marred by Maximov summoning Baal, using those same Crystals of Gaia you see on the ground here. It took all of us, Jason. ALL OF US! And what happened? We failed to save Angel Grove, but we managed to save the world...

No. We didn't save shit.

The destruction of Angel Grove proved to be the grain that tipped the scale and spilled the rice. The world economy plummeted in less than a week. Because of Baal's summoning, the world's surface became less stable, more prone to earthquakes. In three weeks, seven earthquakes all over the world... Haiti, India, Zimbabwe, Mexico, Puerto Rico, just to name a FEW countries that were devastated by earthquakes. And people didn't care. No one cared, not just because it wasn't them, but because those that were not hit by natural disasters were rioting.

Remember the riots? Remember how those shanty towns smelled of shit and blood? Remember how people trampled over each other for medicine and food? Remember how so many children died from curable diseases? People needed heroes, Jason.

It wasn't us. We weren't the heroes the world needed. We did our best, Jason, but it proved too much for us. We couldn't keep the peace. The riots began to wear away the patience of many of our friends and allies. Remember how you reprimanded Will and Kelsey for using deadly force during that riot in Silver Hills? Well, they had been trying to get people to calm down for three days straight. They told me they couldn't sleep for more than an hour a day while they were there. That was all our stories, Jason. We were tired and angry. Tired of fighting a losing battle. Tired of saving a world that insisted on destroying itself. And angry at that world that couldn't care less.

And what happens next? As far as the people were concerned, we were the guys who blasted at them when all they wanted was food and medicine. No one gave a crap about us, Jason. People were more than happy to see us gone.

Enter the Ranger Act. Now, you and I both know the official reason for this law, that whole 'scapegoating' thing. As far as the people were concerned, it was a fair compromise by the good government of George Sears to prevent similar disasters from happening again. What you probably didn't know was that this was only the beginning.

With the Ranger Act, our identities could be made public. With the Act, the Government would know where we lived, even, keep tabs on us all. Likewise, with this information, anyone could kill us. And thanks to the Act, the same people that wanted us gone had the information they needed to make it happen. With the old Power Rangers gone, the paramilitary companies would be free to charge whatever price they wanted.

It was the beginning, Jason! The beginning of a new age of capitalism, where even the war between good and evil was privatized! A world where 'heroes' charged for saving people! No...a world without heroes... The world of the almighty dollar... The War Economy.

I needed to stop this. A friend of mine whom I had known for ages, a person who knew of my time as a Power Ranger, gave me all this information. His name is Wade Miles. He helped me gather all this information because he knew what was going on, but was powerless to stop it. He and I had been planning a way to save America, and the world, from this new age of rampant and unchecked capitalism, this world of a war economy.

He and I originally planned to revive Lord Zedd and have the Power Rangers defeat him. Lord Zedd would rise up, crush whatever army or Private Power Ranger tried to stop him, and then face his end at the hands of the REAL Power Rangers. That is why the Space Rangers helped me. I told them my plan, to gather the Crystals so that I'd bring back Lord Zedd. What a great plan, Jason. Bring back Lord Zedd, unite the Rangers, stop Zedd and save the day. Then everything will be OK, and we can all go back to how we were.

But I couldn't do that, Jason. Doing that might have meant that the Power Rangers would become heroes in the eyes of the people again, and it might have stalled the Private Rangers movement, but it isn't enough. There will always be a much larger problem.

Jason, this whole thing we do has to end. The Power Rangers as they are can not continue existing! 2009 has proven that the world needs a consistent team of Power Rangers to be at the ready for anything! 2010 has proven that these same Rangers need to be well trained, and knowledgeable in ways of stopping riots! And 2011 has proven that the Power Rangers need to be above nations and governments.

Jason...Trini died for this world. She gave her life for it. She and Dex died so that this world would see another sunrise. And did the world deserve it? No. This world, whose people don't give a shit about anything or anyone but themselves does not deserve heroes. This world that tramples over children for food and medicine does not deserve heroes. This world that tries to destroy itself EVERY FUCKING TIME does not deserve heroes! This world didn't deserve her sacrifice! This world deserves to be destroyed!

But I can't. I can't sit by and watch the world Trini gave her life for be destroyed. I can't sit by and watch as some fat bastards who don't care about anything but money tell the world that if they want to be saved from the next Rita Repulsa or Lord Zedd that they need to pay upfront, cash only. I can't stand idly by knowing that our children won't have heroes.

The world needs heroes. The world needs protectors who work for the people, not for money. But the world also needs professional heroes, not the 'volunteer' system we've been using for the last eighteen years. Jason, that system does nothing but interrupt the lives of TEENAGERS, innocent civilians, and forces them to fight battles they have no business fighting. For the love of God, we once recruited a CHILD! How? How can we sleep at night knowing that our options are either keep this going, or allow the companies to take over? I decided on a third option.

I decided to summon Baal, let him cause enough damage to weaken every nation in the world, and then let him be destroyed by an outside force, who will then become our new saviors. This outside force, Jason, is called Space Patrol Delta, and they have Ranger technology.

Thanks to Baal, no nation in the world will be able to sustain themselves. Those that had been managing to get by until now will no longer be able to do so. If any government wants to prevent their people from rioting, they will accept SPD. Space Patrol Delta will protect this world, now and forever.

It's a new beginning, Jason! The people will have the heroes they need, professionals that are on duty at every hour of every day.

(Billy's narration ends here.)

"But Billy, you've killed..." Jason moves his arm. Billy looks at him, unaffected.

"Billy, let me tell you who you killed, just so they won't be faceless victims to you." Jason tries getting up. "Bella, Blaise, Wind, Kenneth, Arthur, Casey, Theo, Lilly, Taylor, Alyssa, Cole, Danny, Max, Kelsey, Joel, Chad, Dana, Carter."

Jason slowly gets up, his legs still a bit wobbly. "Nick, Vida, Chip, Ronny, Dax, Will, Andros, Ashley, Carlos, TJ, Cassie, Udonna, Leanbow, Justin, Kat, Rocky, Tanya, Aisha and Zack! And don't even think these are the only people killed because of you! There must be millions of people dead as well!"

"Considering his power, I estimate at least a billion deaths." Billy can't face Jason, his shame far too apparent. "I know."

"Billy, killing people is never the right thing." Jason stands tall and proud.

"I may have done the wrong thing, but I did it for the right reasons." Billy grabs the two Morphers.

"The wrong thing for the right reasons is STILL the wrong thing!" Jason assumes a fighting stance.

Billy chuckles. He turns to Jason, and tosses him his old Morpher with the Tyrannosaurus Power Coin. "Then DO something about it! You know what needs to be done!"

In unison: "It's Morphing Time!"


	31. Chapter 31

Power Rangers: Public Enemies

Chapter 30: Who will cry for the Devil, he who needs it most?

Billy and Jason stared each other down, their hands gripping their weapons. As the hot wind blew around them, the giant hole were Baal had escaped from Hell was absorbing what little was left of Angel Grove. Ambers from the Hell flames flew across the sky, illuminating what man will forever more remember as the 'Darkest Day'.

"I'm sorry it's come to this, Jason." Billy rushes towards Jason, his Power Lance split in two. He jumps, spins around the air, and strikes Jason with both blades. Jason gets knocked back a bit, but quickly gets up. Power Sword at the ready, Jason picks up his Power Blaster and aims directly at Billy's chest. Once he was knocked back a bit, Jason lunged at Billy and slashed him with the Power Sword across the chest.

Meanwhile...

Several thousand angels had flown from Heaven, sealing up the hole that led into Hell. They noticed a few denizens trying to escape.

"Almost there. Come on, once we get out, we can have some..." Kamdor noticed the angels. "Get out of my way!"

"None may leave Hell." One of the angels blasts Kamdor with a beam of white light, which sends him hurtling back into Hell. He is then followed by a few others who had dared to follow him.

Kamdor lands right back where he started, in a valley overlooking a great lake of fire from which a colossal ten headed demon dog was devouring the souls of pedophiles. He gets up and looks around him.

"So leaving a no go?" Loki scoffs. "I should have known. The forces of Heaven are screwing us over."

"Well, not like it matters." Nayzor gleefully stabs Cole in the heart with a rusted knife. This is the third time he's done this in the hour. "The Power Rangers are down here with us. We have all the time in the world to have some fun."

"Hahahaha! Blessings upon Baal!" Grizzaka punches Lilly in the nose, pulls her hair, then bites off her breast. Once it grows back, he repeats the process. The screams of the damned did not drown out the Ranger's screams of agony. In fact, Andrew Hartford could easily tell which Ranger was screaming the loudest. And it broke his heart.

"Rose..." Andrew silently sheds tears. "I'm sorry..."

"You bet you're sorry." Goldar knocks on the cage where Hartford was being held. "But just wait until it's my turn with her. I'll show her a 'good time', if you know what I mean! And of course you'll know, since you'll get to watch!"

Back on the surface...

The hole to hell was slowly closing, a sight to behold yet not meant to be seen by mortal eyes. A brilliant white light shone from the wings of hundreds of angels as they closed the portal to Hell. They knew fully well of the fight that was occurring just a few miles away from them, in the mountains that once held the headquarters to the champions of good...

Sparks flew around as Jason and Billy continued their battle. Battered and torn, Billy kept fighting, not caring for how tired he had gotten. Jason, blinded by both a righteous fury and a thirst for vengeance, paid no mind to how tired his body had gotten. His red suit singed and torn from the battle, his Power Sword chipped and dulled beyond repair, his brow drenched in sweat, his throat dry from his fury, nothing will stop Jason from finishing off the monster in front of him.

Slash! The Power Sword managed to knock off Billy's lance. Swing! A clear slash across his belt buckle de-morph's Billy. Swish!

"You...got me..." Billy smiles, his mouth filled with blood. Jason's fury dies out and is replaced with horror. Jason, ever so slowly, looks down at his Power Sword, which he had used to stab his one time friend straight through the stomach. Jason watches in horror as Billy's blood oozes out from his stomach, his intestines slowly dripping out like rotten sausages.

"No." Jason's eyes begin to form tears. He de-morphs. "Billy...I'll get you to a hospital!"

"Don't bother. This is how I planned it." Billy chuckles. "The Mystic Water is keeping me alive...for another three minutes, tops."

"Billy...that's enough time..."

"Jason...I'm a bad man now. I'm the worst human being in history since Ludwig von Schroeder. I am responsible for more deaths than any human being in history." Tears form in Billy's eyes. "I am like a fallen angel, I am now death, destroyer of worlds and bringer of sorrows. There is no hope for me, no mercy. And I want none."

"Billy..."

"I did all this to help bring a new world, Jason. A new world, where children will be free from becoming child soldiers, where people can sleep soundly no matter where they live...I had a dream, Jason. I've had this dream since I first became a Power Ranger. But...we couldn't do it. No matter how hard we tried, there were always evils we could never defeat. Poverty, hate, greed...I did what I did, so that children could grow up in a world free of these evils. And I did it all knowing I would lose my humanity in the process." Billy coughs up a lot of blood. "Jason, look at me. I'm worse than Zedd, Rita and the Machine Empire combined. It's more than fitting for one of the best, if not THE best, Power Ranger to kill me. Thank you...for saving the world Jason..."

"Billy...I..."

"Live, Jason. This new world, a world protected by professional Power Rangers, a world with no frontiers and no national borders, this is my gift to you. I regret that our...YOUR fellow Rangers could not enjoy this world. I'd give everything to change the past...but...believe me, Jason. I hate myself for what happened. I'm no Power Ranger...I'm a fallen hero. A demon like any other." Billy's tears fall unto the Power Sword, washing away a few drops of blood. "Do me a favor, Jason. Tell my tale, both the good and the bad, and let History judge me accordingly. I stained my hands...for the children born...for the children yet to be born...for peace...These hands are stained with the bloods of billions...and no...amount of...tears..can...ever...wash..."

Billy's limp hand fell unto the ground. As if in mourning, the wind howled across the empty desert mountains, blowing sand away. Jason stood there, tears silently falling down his face.

"Billy...you fucked up...You didn't have to do any of this...But..." Jason fought back his tears. "Why you, Billy? Why anyone? Why didn't you stay in Aquitar? Why didn't you just stay away from Earth, if you thought it so beyond salvation, you needed to murder millions to save billions? Why dirty your hands to save those that don't deserve to be saved? Why the hell did you think YOU needed to do all this?"

Jason takes out his Power Sword from Billy's abdomen. He walks towards a flat spot of earth and begins using his sword as a shovel.

"Billy...this world...I remember everything we went through. It wasn't easy, Billy. It wasn't easy hearing from Zordon that we couldn't interfere in that ugly business in Rwanda. It wasn't easy knowing he was barring us from helping out in Kosovo. For a long time, I wondered why. But...last year, I finally realized. Zordon was protecting us. He knew there were limits to what we could and couldn't do. I see now...can you imagine what we could have done if we had interfered in Rwanda? We could have made shit worse..." Jason's tears wash away the sweat building in his face.

"We couldn't...We weren't heroes last year...I remember the day I nearly lost my temper...shit Billy I could have killed somebody! And some of us did! We weren't heroes...We lost our status as heroes...We were never fit to save the world...You're right, the world needs professional Power Rangers, not volunteers." Jason walks towards Billy's body. He picks it up, and slowly places it in the small grave he had dug. He then begins to bury Billy.

"Billy...I don't know what to do anymore. I'm no hero..." Jason picks up a large stone and places it as a tombstone for Billy. Using the broken Power Lance, he carves out an epitaph for the fallen Ranger:

_'Here lies a good friend, who lost sight of his path trying to keep the rest of us from getting lost.'_

"How touching." Jason turns around to see whose voice that was. He sees an angel, who can best be described as an eyeball surrounded by a thousand hands with a thousand fingers on each, and whose fingers each also served as arms that held a a hand which also contained a thousand fingers each, and so forth. "Do not be afraid. I am the Seraph, Fa'Diel."

"Why are you here?" Jason notices that Fa'Diel held the Crystals of Gaia. "Please! We can use those crystals to save my friends!"

"No."

"What..." Jason wipes away his tears, his fury having returned. "Why not?"

"Are you willing to revive the one billion, seven hundred and thirty seven million, eight hundred and ninety two thousand, four hundred and thirteen people killed by Baal?"

"In a heartbeat!"

Fa'Diel's eye began to glow red. "Fool. That is the wrong answer. Forget it. All who are killed by Baal automatically go to Hell, regardless of circumstance."

"So...What, I just stand here and do nothing? I can't do that! That is wrong!"

"Oh? You know right from wrong?" Fa'Diel looks amused. "Where were you when God made the stars in the sky? Where were you when everything was a giant void of nothingness? Where you the one God planted in the Garden of Eden? You think that, just because you've been fighting the forces of evil for less than twenty years, you are an expert on right and wrong? You dare question me, a Seraph? I have walked across the surface of millions of suns. I have seen events unfold on Earth that have long ago disappeared from man's memory. I have seen your kind kill your own kind far too many times to count. You are not unlike a snowflake lecturing the Sun on what it means to be good or evil."

"So..." Jason sighs. He looks at Billy's grave. "At least...take care of him... I know what he did...to me it seems horrendous...but please...ask God to have mercy on him."

"Why cry for him? He is a murderer." Fa'Diel turns to face Jason. "Why cry for someone who does not deserve it?"

"Because I know what he's going to be put through. And I know that, deep down, he deserves it, but...how can I not cry for him?"

"And what of those who will also suffer? How many of them deserve it?"

Jason wipes his tears. "I don't know...only God can know...and He...He's just going to let them all just..."

"Jason..." Fa'Diel wipes a tear from Jason's eye. "Weep not for your fellow man."

"I can't...stop..." Jason's eyes bulge out. "What are you doing? Why are you giving me the Crystals?"

"Go ahead, Jason. Use them, and resurrect those who have fallen." Fa'Diel looms over the Crystals of Gaia.

"But you tried to keep me from..." An idea suddenly comes to his mind. "What will happen if I use these?"

"Good question. You already know the answer."

"Billy used them to summon Baal...or...how do they even work?"

Fa'Diel chuckles. "Good question."

Jason trembles, debating what he should do. "These Crystals can open up the...I..."

"Baal is only the second weakest of the Seven Satans." Fa'Diel chuckles. "Only Mammon is weaker. Ikchthulu, the third weakest of the Satans, is seven times stronger than Baal. And Lucifer, the strongest of the Seven Satans, is over a million times stronger than Baal."

"I...can't." Jason returns the Crystals. "I can't risk it... I don't know how to use these...and I feel it is wrong for me to do so."

"A wise choice." Fa'Diel takes back the Crystals. "Eons ago, God made Reality. And when he created Reality, he made several artifacts which could be utilized for the benefit of all living beings across the Universe. The Crystals of Gaia are an example. Another example is the Time Gate of the planet Ventis. When the people of Ventis used the Gate for their own selfish reasons, God split Reality in two, and destroyed the people of Ventis. These artifacts were made by God so that we could all benefit from them, but mortals abused them. Just like the people of Ventis abused the Time Gate, so has Billy abused the Crystals. I must take them away to another reality, maybe one where you humans have destroyed yourselves already."

"What about everyone else? The people killed by Baal? Is there nothing that can be done?"

"I think I can make a deal with you, Jason." Fa'Diel thinks for a moment. "Live out your life, and become an exemplary human being. While doing so, produce a child, and lead that child down the path of righteousness. If that child stays on that path, and produces a child who will also walk the same path for the rest of his or her life, then Heaven will save the victims of Baal in ten thousand years. It might seem like an unfair deal, but those ARE the terms. Take the deal or leave it."

"I'll take it." Jason sighs in defeat. "I'll take it."

"Good." And with that Fa'Diel disappears.

Jason walks towards Billy's grave. He collapses. "It's better than nothing, Billy. It's better than nothing..."


	32. Chapter 32

Power Rangers: Public Enemies

Final Chapter: Twilight has passed, and the darkness of the night is tamed by the radiant light of a new dawn

**(Author's note: This is the final chapter, but there will be an epilogue, which will hint at two new sequels I've already planned out.)**

"_...guys, this is amazing, floating up here in space, staring at that big blue ball floating by in this huge, huge dark void. I see the oceans of our beautiful planet, and I have never seen them so calm, so blue, so beautiful. I can see the clouds and they are as white as snow, no gray clouds or black clouds from way up here, guys." _John Hill's voice reached out across generations via an old tape that was playing. Lionel Smash listens intently to the recorder his grandfather, John, had left him, before he passed away. His face in tears, he sits in his kitchen, alone in the world.

"_It's kind of hard to believe this, but...I keep looking at the continents, and I can't tell where each country ends or begins. I see South America, but it just looks like a giant land mass, not a collection of countries like in the almanacs we used in school. In fact, yesterday, I saw the continent of Europe, and I couldn't believe what I saw. I saw, just like today, a continent, just a continent. I couldn't tell where France was, or where East Germany and West Germany were separated...I couldn't even tell where the Soviet Union began..."_ John Hill sighs at this moment. The voice of Yuri Patlov says something in Russian, but Lionel can't understand what he says.

"_I look at this world below me, and I can't help but realize something. Guys, we're alone here, all of us, we have all lived all our existence in this big blue ball that floats in a darkness. The entirety of our existence has been tied to that one little ball in the sky. We humans are to the entire Universe what a grain of sand is to the beaches of the world. So...why? Why do we keep trying to kill each other? I mean, by God, look at us. Here we are, alone in the Universe, no one to talk to but ourselves, and what are we doing? We're holding nukes above our heads, for no reason..." _John Hill's voice gets angrier at this point, but it also sounds as if he is holding tears. Yuri Patlov says something at this point, again in Russian. The evident tenderness in his voice suggests he was speaking to someone he held dearly.

"_Look at us, trying to kill each other over and over again. We've been doing that since the dawn of time, and always for no good reason. The first murder was because of sibling jealousy, for God's sake! We've been... I'm sick of wars. I'm sick of the Vietnam War, sick of the Cold War, sick of EVERY war ever! If it were up to me, maybe..." _At this moment, John Hill breaks into sobs.

"_Friend John Hill, please remembering. I believing that there are good people like there are bad people on home. In home of Omsk, there are lots of different peoples. There are some who open homes to the cold and hungry, like there are those who refuse work. I join the Party because I think Communism is answer for problems. All I know is what grandpa told me. Before Communism childrens walked barefoot. After Communism, shoes. I thought World still barefoot, still hungry. I did it for others, not for myself, because I think there are good people in World, and good is more than bad." _The rest of Yuri Patlov's speech is in Russian, and clearly directed at whoever was listening at the other end of this communication.

"_You're right, Yuri. Thanks. I think that too. I think there are good people in the World too. And even though there are also bad people, the good are worth more than the bad. My grandfather, Albert Tobias Hill, gave his life in World War 1, the War to End All Wars, so that my dad could live. My dad , Joshua Hill, died in the war that came after that one, World War 2. He died fighting those Nazis, giving his life...for me. Look at us all, we are all here thanks to the sacrifices of men like my father and grandfather. For my tomorrow, they gave their today...I have a today to give too. It's our turn. I hope, guys, that you can live to see a world free from nuclear danger, free from wars and poverty, free from intolerance and hate. A world where kids can grow up happy and safe, a world where a man and a woman an raise a child safely, a world where the black man and the white can live side by side as equals. A unified world, free from war, without nukes, without East or West, without borders. Tell the kids, for their tomorrow, many brave men gave their today." _Lionel turns off the tape at that moment. Tears streaming down his face, he stares at his American flag. The message he had just played was recorded in 1969, six years before the end of the Vietnam War, twenty two years before the dissolution of the Soviet Union, twenty four years before Rita Repulsa, Twenty nine years before the Countdown to Destruction, and forty two years before The Darkest Day.Between the moment that message was recorded and this very day there had been at least eight more wars, three more nuclear scares, at least two more genocides, dozens of ethnic conflicts...and the Darkest Day. Lionel Smash just collapses unto the floor merely thinking about it.

It's been a week since The Darkest Day. It's been a week since a billion people lost their lives to Baal. It's been a week since humanity had been forced to stare at the face of death, and live. It's been a week since every nation in the world merely collapsed with no way of maintaining their infrastructures. It has been a week since SPD had arrived on Earth after having saved it. It's been a week since they had abolished the world's national borders. A year from now, the world will remember that day with much solemnity. A decade from now, when life has become much more comfortable, television stations the world over will run specials detailing this day. Thirty years from now, school children will fall asleep in class as they are given a boring lecture on the importance of the Darkest Day. Fifty years from now, many children and adults will weep upon seeing the images of the places destroyed by Baal. But, for now, humanity can think of little else save for that awful day.

President George Sears was, like every other leader in the world, allowed to finish his tenure. As the last President of the United States, he decided the rest of his presideny would be spent fixing the damages done to America during the Darkest Day. There is no more room for politics, no more room for pundits, for Left or Right, Conservative or Liberal. The days of elections, of God Bless America and all that nonsense, that's over. George Sears sighs, thinking about if there was any way he could leave anything resembling a legacy. He looks over at his old desk, and chuckles at how everything he had done until now had been completely undone by a single day. Two hundred years of History, gone. He looks at all the bills he had signed. There's the Ranger Act, signed with his name. He reads it. He suddenly gains an idea...

Wade Miles looks at his son for the last time. Bed ridden and dying of radiation he had sustained from the bomb that destroyed Briarwood, he considers it Heaven's Justice that he dies along with the age he had helped bring to an end. He holds on to his Christian faith that, with his repentance, God will forgive him, but he does not fool himself. He knows what he has done is not at all easy to forgive, and when he dies and faces Him, he will have much to answer for. His only regret is not being able to hold his son one last time. Tears stream down his face as he watches his only son, Henry, struggle desperately against the doctors that are trying to take him away from the glass pane that separated him from his father. Wade can't move, all he can do is cry. Henry cries as well, desperately pleading with the doctors to let him be with his father. Wade himself is barely recognizable. His teeth have fallen, his hair is completely gone, his skin is sickly and full of tumors, his gums continously bleed, his eyes are dull and lack any sign of life. He watches helplessly as the doctors take away his son, knowing fully well that, as soon as he dies, Henry will be taken to a Foster Home, where he will grow up as just another kid in the System. That is when Wade remembers: there is no more United States. There is no more Social Services to send his son to a Foster Home, no more System to take care of him. His heart collapses from sorrow and regret, drawing his final breath, he attempts to voice his regret, but is unable. Flatline...

Jason sighs, looking at the ocean. Here he is, standing on a bridge overlooking the bay. He's thinking about it...

"No matter what, there's no guarantee that anything will get better." Tears fall down his face. This is his darkest hour. "I can't...I can't accept that I'm the last one...Why did I survive? Why am I still here? Why wasn't I with them?"

Jason attempts to climb over the railing. The soft breeze blowing in his facem the gorgeous sunset shining across the ocean as if begging him to reconsider. "I know I made a deal...but I just... I can't..."

"Hey!" Jason is surprised when someone grabs him and pushes him back unto the bridge. "You crazy? What the hell you trying to kill yourself for? You trying to take the fucking easy way out?"

"Huh?" Jason looks up and sees a young police officer looming angrily over him. However, the young man still offers to help Jason up.

"The hell is wrong with your life, dude? I don't know what's wrong with you, but suicide is NOT the answer!"

"I'm...alone..." Jason tears up again. "My friends...they're all dead..."

"I'm sorry." The young officer pats Jason on the shoulder. "I'm really sorry..."

"They died...last week..." Jason looks away.

"My God..." The young officer looks stunned. His badge reads 'L. Tate'. "Look...I know...it's hard. Believe me, I lost some friends too, in the line of duty...It always hurts...but killing yourself is not the answer. Believe me, I know what I'm talking about."

"Thanks..." Jason takes out his Morpher, thinking about happier times. He does not notice how Officer Tate's mouth hangs open upon seeing it.

"DUDE! YOU! You're the Red Ranger!" Officer Tate starts jumping around like a school boy. "You're my hero, man!"

"Huh?"

"Dude, you're the...you're the reason I ever became a cop! You're my idol, man!" Officer Tate jumps up and down like a fanboy. "Oh my God, you have GOT to meet my family! They are gonna FLIP when they see you!"

"No...I'm no one worth meeting." Jason looks away. "I'm no hero..."

"Dude..." Officer Tate grabs Jason by the shoulder. "You, the Mighty Morphing Red Ranger, were my inspiration when I was a kid. Whenever I was bullied at school, I'd think to what you would do, and summoned the courage to stand up to those bullies. Because you always inspired me to be the best I can be, I passed High School when no one else thought I ever could. I became a Cop only because I couldn't yet become a Power Ranger. You're my hero, sir. And, truth is, I still want to be a Power Ranger, even after all that's happened..."

"It's...I think..."

"I want to be the best I can be. And I know I can be a great Power Ranger if I try hard enough. I know this, because six years ago, you told me. Remember? You were at my city, as the Red Ranger, giving a speech on how we could be the best we could be if we gave it our all. That was the day..." Officer Tate looks down on the beach. "I have a kid, you know. Named him Schuyler, after my father in law. I hope you can be his hero too, as you are to me."

"No, Officer." Jason pats him on the shoulder, smiling. "I hope his hero will be you. Thanks...you've cheered me up."

Suddenly, there's a scream! A giant fish monster appears on the beach, terrorizing the citizens!

"This is Officer Tate, we have an emergency at the beach! It's a giant fish monster! He..." Officer Tate watches as Jason steps forward, Morpher at the ready.

"Stand down officer, let me show you how it's done!" Jason Morphs into the Mighty Morphing Red Ranger and rushes towards the fish monster! The woman who had screamed earlier watches in admiration as Jason defeats the monster.

"Wow..." The woman stares in amazement. "What a man..."

Having defeated the fish monster with ease, Jason lets out a sigh. It's not as fun as it used to be. But, something amazing happens. Everyone who had witnessed the battle suddenly began to cheer. Officer Tate was cheering the loudest of them all. The only person who was not cheering was the woman from earlier, who was staring at Jason with her mouth open. She approaches him.

"Hi..." She's shy. "You were incredible out there...uh...I'm Janet. Janet West."

"Jason Lee Scott." Jason blushes madly. It's not enough that Janet is absolutely stunning, she's wearing a bikini to boot. They shake hands...

About a week later, when Jason and Janet had just finished making love for the first time, the mail arrives. There were several letters. Jason walked over to get them and he was stunned at what had arrived. Several letters from the surviving Rangers, each saying the same thing:

"_You're not alone. Call me when you need me."_


	33. Chapter 33

Power Rangers: Public Enemies

Epilogue:

Jason's old morpher was hidden under his blanket. He always carried it around him because he thought it was important.

It has been well over fifty years since the Darkest Day. It is the year 2060, and Jason has grown old. His muscles had long since dissapeared, leaving him skinny and weak. His body had caught up to him, punishing him for his days of strenous Ranger activity. He was confined to a wheelchair.

Three months after the Darkest Day, Jason and Janet had wed. Five years later, they had their only daughter, Kelly Jane Scott. Kelly's birth, Jason had decided, was the happiest day of his life.

Kelly grew up in a world protected by the Power Rangers. She grew up idolizing her father, dreaming of becoming a Red Ranger like he was. She signed up for Martial Arts. She trained every day. She lifted wheights, she did push ups, she ate healthy. She mended her own broken heart every time one of her boyfriends would dump her due to their own insecurities. By Jason's insistence, she went to College, where she pursued a two year degree. She joined SPD Academy at age 20, where she excelled on all fields. In the year 2038, a whole two years after she had enrolled, she had officially become a Power Ranger. She was assigned to Squad 12, captained by Z Delgado. It did not take long until she was chosen to be a Red Ranger, a day where Jason could not stop telling her how proud he was. She met a man named Matt Jones during one of her missions. She had fallen in love with him after he had taken her on a few dates, including a rather romantic venture in a restaurant orbitting Mirinoi. She had married him after a year of dating.

In the year 2039, during her courtship with Matt, Kelly accompanied her father to a funeral. It was Tommy Oliver's, and the first of many funerals for a Power Ranger who had lived past The Darkest Day. Because of his exposure to Morphing Grid energy, as well as the whole Green Candle thing from his teenage years, his lifespan had been shortened considerably. On that day, Jason had to face the hard fact that his own death was not long off.

The year 2041 was the last year Jason had ever used his Ranger Powers. He had just wanted one last adventure, but his own daughter had scolded him for interfering with Police work. He ended up sitting on the sidelines, watching his own daughter arrest the monster which had been causing a little mayhem. It was on that day that Jason finally retired, in shame, depressed over having gotten so useless.

In the year 2044, Kelly gave birth to her son, Lee. Like his mother, Lee grew up in a world protected by the Power Rangers. Like his mother, Lee wanted to grow up to be a Power Ranger. Unlike his mother, however, Lee had the opportunity to join the Academy at age 14, thanks to their new Youth Program.

But Jason can't remember any of that. He can't remember anything at all, save for his name, and a few miscellaneous things. His mind had been ravaged by an incurable bout of Alzheimer's, made so by the Gold Ranger energies his body had stored long ago. This old man right here, this decrepit old man who drools on himself every so often, who can not even recognize his own child or grandchild, who can barely recall what his wife of nearly fifty years looked like before she had passed on, who can no longer remember his great contributions to the world as both a Ranger and as a model citizen, this old man right here is Jason Lee Scott in his final days.

"Bye bye grampa." Lee hugs his grandfather. "I'm off on my mission, OK?"

"Who are you?" Jason looks at Lee as if he were a stranger. "And where are you going?"

"Come on grampa, I told you. I've been assigned under Captain Carson to go to the planet Ventis!" Lee has a sad look on his face.

Jason digs under his blanket and pulls out his old Red Ranger Power Coin. "I think this is important...here, you keep it."

Kelly and Lee look on stunned at Jason's offering. Lee hesitates, but he takes it. "Wow...grampa, remember how you used to tell me stories from when you were a Ranger?"

"What? I was a park ranger?" Jason starts drooling. Kelly grabs a napkin and wipes it off. "I don't remember ever being a forrest ranger..."

"You were a Power Ranger..." Lee sighs as he sees his mother give him that 'just give up, he will not remember' look. "Know what? Forget it, it's OK. Thanks for the Power Coin, grampa."

"You look like a good kid, boy." Jason pats his grandson on the shoulder. "Your folks ought to be proud of you."

Kelly surveyed her surroundings. She can't handle seeing her father like this, but puts on a brave face anyway. She sees Schuyler Tate approaching them. "Ah! Commander Tate! Good morning!"

"Kelly! Good morning!" Sky and Kelly smile to each other. They have been friends for ages now. "Ah! I see Cadet Jones is here bright and early for his first mission!"

"I was excited sir..." Lee salutes, but he feels a bit sheepish. Must be the fact that he was wearing a Yellow uniform.

"I know you come from a long line of Red Rangers. But I just want you to know, heroes come in all colors." Sky pats Lee on the back. "Work hard, and maybe YOU might be a Red Ranger too some day."

"Thank you sir..." Lee blushes like mad. He was quite embarrassed, yet flatered, by the attention the Commander was giving him.

"You've been asigned to Youth Team 37. Your Red Ranger is Zita Skullovitch, and you will be joined by Yuki Momohime, Blue Ranger. Your team captain for this mission shall be Captain Carson."

"Well Lee...this is goodbye for now." Kelly hugs her son. "I'm sorry your father couldn't be here. You know how his business can get."

"It's OK mom. I know..." Lee sighs. His father was only ever around for half the year. "Bye mom. Bye grampa."

"Bye kid. Take care of your parents, OK?" Jason waves weakly. His body can't move as much as it used to.

Kelly, Jason and Sky watch as Lee hurries towards his terminal, where his new teammates awaited him. Kelly does her best to remain composed.

"Why am I here again?" Jason speaks up. His tired eyes look around the terminal. "Where am I?"

"Come on daddy, you want to go back home?"

"Who are you?" Jason looks Kelly over. "You look like someone I know..."

"I'm Kelly. You're daughter..." Kelly looks hopefully at Jason. Does he trully remember?

"What? Kenny? No, no, I think that's a boy's name..." Jason starts drooling again. Kelly takes out another napkin and wipes the drool off. "Where's Janet...?"

"Daddy...Mommy died...three years ago, remember?" Kelly fights off her tears. Sky looks at the sad scene, remembering the last days of his own mother's life. His looks at his bionic arm's built in watch. It is nearly noon.

"Kelly...Mr. Scott, I hope you don't mind me leaving you, but I've a class to teach. I'll be seeing you later, OK?"

"Bye kid." Jason waves weakly. He starts nodding off a bit. "Hey...I want to go home..."

"Sure thing, daddy."

Kelly and Jason drove all the way back to the Retirement Center. On the way, they passed the Ranger Memorial. Jason, in a rare moment of recognition, demanded that they stopped and take a look at the memorial.

This is the Ranger Memorial, the last monument built by George Sears during his presidency. It is a Memorial that commemorates the fallen Power Rangers. Initially including only those that died in the Darkest Day, it has since expanded to those that have fallen in the line of duty since then.

"Oh God, please don't let Lee's name ever appear in one of these." Kelly prayed. "Please, keep him safe."

"Hey..." Jason spoke to the names written in the monument. "Hi...I think...I almost remember..."

Jason read the names...

_Trini Kwan, William Cranston, Zack Taylor, Rocky DeSantos, Aisha Campbell, Katherine Hillard, Tanya Sloane..._

"I don't think I remember these guys...but I think I almost do..."

_Chad Lee, Cole Evans, Taylor Eardhardt,..._

"I...I don't..."

_Mackenzie Hartford, Rose Ortiz..._

"I..."

_Isabella Black, Kenneth Dent, Arthur Dent, Wind Lane, Blaise De la Croix..._

"I...can't remember who these people are..."

_Ffemren Dfenlent, Kyla Cross, Trent Rezzer._ Those were the last names on the monument. Jason looks towards Kelly, who had been looking over the names of some of her old colleagues.

"Bye Ffem, bye Kyla, bye Trent. Take care of Lee, will you?" Kelly holds back her tears. She drives her father back to the retirement center in silence.

"Hey...come look at this." Jason points towards a picture on his room's wall. It is his wedding photo. "The woman in the picture's my wife. Her name's Laura..."

"I know daddy..." Kelly smiles at her father.

"And look here. This is a picture of when we had our kid..." Jason smiles weakly, trying his best to remember that day. "I can't remember anything else..."

"It's OK daddy. You'll remember someday."

"No, I won't." Jason starts crying. "I won't remember anything..."

At a loss for words, Kelly does the only thing she can think of: She hugs her father tightly. He hugs her back.

"You're a good girl, you know? I bet your mom and dad are proud of you."

"I hope so..." Kelly gets up. "Well...I have to go home now...bye daddy."

"Take good care of yourself, OK?" Suddenly, a memory resurfaced in his mind. "I... say hi to your son for me when ya see him, OK?...May the Power protect you."

Kelly was stunned. What could she say to him? It had been years since he had last said that. "May the Power protect you too, daddy."

As she walked towards her car, Kelly held her tears in. But once inside, once she had closed her doors, she couldn't hold them back anymore. She let out all her anguish, all her sorrow in one torrent of tears. Seeing her father like that, seeing her own son leave her, not having her husband around, it was too much.

Suddenly, her phone rings. She dries up her tears, fixes herself up, puts on her brave face, and answers. "Hello?"

"Kelly?" It was Matt. "Is Lee there? Did I miss him?"

"Sorry sweetie, Lee left about two hours ago."

"Oh..." Matt looked quite dissapointed. "I guess I took too long. Damn meeting...How you holding up?"

"Oh Matt..." Kelly breaks down into tears again. "I miss my baby so much already."

"I know. Come on sweetie, let it out." Matt looks on at his wife with a tender look on his face, his own eyes on the verge of tears. In all the years she's been a Red Ranger, Matt is the only person to have ever seen Kelly cry. "I miss him too. I wish I could have been there..."

Later that evening. Jason lays in bed. His memory has completely failed him, as he can no longer remember anything anymore. He closes his eyes...

...and he never wakes up.

And the world still spins, and children still play, and mothers still cry for their children who are still growing up so fast, and fathers still try their best to keep their kids in the straight and narrow. There is still crime, there is still anger, there is still violence, there is still hate. There are still criminals, there are still teachers, there are still kids who choose education over drugs, there are still people who believe in doing the right thing. This is our world, as it has always been, as it can still be, if we try hard enough to make it so.

**I am done. This is the absolute last chapter of Power Rangers: Public Enemies. It's been one hell of a year writing this thing, but I finished it. I am happy with how it came out. I'd like to thank a few people for making this fanfic possible: Ghost Writter, who would often times be the only guy to review my chapters. Thanks dude, really appreciate it. William Lamb, for also consistently reviewing. His positive reviews have helped me get motivated to do better at each chapter. PinkRangerV, who helped me improve my grammar and structure, without her, I would not have improved like I did. Project 314, who helped me get back on my feet by giving me one hell of a glowing review. And of course to every last one of my dear reviewers, whose glowing reviews have helped me through some dark, dark times.**

**I would like to announce not one, but TWO sequels to Public Enemies. I don't want to give TOO much away, though. But, since you guys are so awesome, I'm gonna go ahead and tell you anyway. Public Enemies is part three of a five part Power Rangers Fanfic Universe of my own creation, called the 'Okkusenverse'. So far, I have published two fanfics from my Okkusenverse: Brave and the Bold, and Public Enemies. The next sequel, which I have already planned out and will start writing real soon, shall be an SPD fanfic. The name? "Grumm's Black Mercy." And here is a slight spoiler: One of our dear SPD Rangers will DIE! Excited? So am I!**


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